  In this article, a floating robotic emulation platform for a virtual
demonstration of satellite motion in space is presented. The robotic platform
design is characterized by its friction-less, levitating, yet planar motion
over a hyper-smooth surface. The robotic platform, integrated with sensor and
actuator units, is fully designed and manufactured from the Robotics and
Artificial Intelligence Team at Lule\aa\ University of Technology. A detailed
design description along with the mathematical modeling describing the
platform's dynamic motion is formulated. Finally, the proposed design is
validated in extensive simulation studies, while the overall test bed
experimental setup, as well as the vehicle hardware and software architectures,
are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the entire design, including 3D printing
CAD model and different testbed elements, is provided in an open-source
repository and a test campaign is used to showcase its capabilities and
illustrate its operations.
