Aurora Robotics - Lunar Mission Animation
Channel: Orion Lawlor
Date: 2021-06-19

Our robotic excavation architecture is based around a lightweight multipurpose robot using a reciprocating rock breaker, derived from a commercial impact hammer tool, which allows our robot to break up and excavate hard icy regolith at a reasonable rate. 

Updated: See our summer 2023 livestream of this robot mining lunar permafrost simulant:
  https://youtube.com/live/D-ZfnQy_gGk

Our Phase 2 operation cycle video showing the robot mining snow:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBOlYl4YaAM

This tool is mounted on a robust robot arm with a coupler that can quickly put down and pick up several other tools:
 - The rock breaker is used to break up hard icy regolith ore.
 - A narrow ripper bucket is used for excavating granular icy regolith ore and surface dust. 
 - A wide ore bucket is used for hauling ore, or large amounts of fill during roadbuilding.
 - A water tank is used for delivering product water in liquid form to the delivery site.
Because of this ability to put down and pick up tools from the lunar surface, a single mobile robot can perform many excavation and hauling tasks, and is hence called an "excahauler". 

An excahauler robot, with multiple tools, works end-to-end to unload itself from a small lander, build its own delivery road across the lunar surface, cut and fill regolith access ramps to reach desired ore deposits, excavate icy regolith using the ripper bucket and rockbreaker tools, haul regolith ore to the water extractor, deliver the extracted water, and finally reclaim the finished mine site by smoothing tailings back over the crater-shaped pit. This multipurpose system allows low-mass excavation, early construction dirtwork, and large-scale excavation and material transport across the lunar surface, using a single type of lightweight electric vehicle. 

This is for the NASA Break The Ice Lunar Challenge, which seeks innovative ways to get water out of the moon.

By Aurora Robotics, College of Engineering & Mines, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Team Members: Dr. Orion Lawlor, Dr. Denise Thorsen, Matt Perry, Logan VanClifford, Lindy Guernsey