NASA Contest: Design a Robotic Arm Software Architecture

  • Estado: Closed
  • Premio: $500
  • Propuestas recibidas: 7
  • Ganador: hinamulani03

Resumen del concurso

Design a Robotic Arm Software Architecture (RASA)

In this challenge, you are asked to design the Robotic Arm Software Architecture (RASA) that will autonomously control a separately designed robotic arm. The RASA will receive all high-level commands from Astrobee and implement them autonomously through the robotic arm. Locations and ranges of motion and control modes for all robotic arm motors will be provided, as well as details on the range of information available through existing sensors.

How it works: The RASA’s job is to transform requests from Astrobee into commands to the electronic hardware of the robotic arm. The RASA must include the high level algorithms necessary for the robotic arm to complete three actions:
1) unpacking from Astrobee’s payload bay and attaching to a Handrail at a specified location,
2) orienting Astrobee by panning and tilting, as commanded, and
3) detaching from the Handrail and (re)stowing back into Astrobee’s payload bay.

Click on the links below to see detailed design instructions, constraints and solution templates for this problem.

Challenge rules:
The prize will be awarded for the lowest mass, technically feasible solution, submitted by the contest deadline.
No working prototype is required for submission, but the design must be sufficiently detailed to allow experts to assess the feasibility of your design (i.e., comply with all requirements) and the credibility of your mass estimate.
Only complete submission packages will be evaluated.

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Comentarios del empleador

“Heena M. developed an innovative design for a robotic arm software architecture for a NASA project. This was a contest and this design was selected from 10 entries as the most efficient code and the most technically feasible design. Heena M. provided a very good design.”

Imagen del perfil nasacoeci, United States.

Principales propuestas de este concurso

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Tablero de aclaración pública

  • nasacoeci
    Organizador del concurso
    • 5 años atrás

    Please join us in congratulating Heena M. as the winner for this challenge. Thanks to all of the participants for all of your hard work on this challenge. Sorry for the very long delay in announcing the winner due to the US Government shutdown. The judging panel was very impressed with the submitted designs and the evaluation was quite difficult.

    • 5 años atrás
  • nasacoeci
    Organizador del concurso
    • 5 años atrás

    Hello all, apologies for the confusion. The awarding of this contest has been postponed due to the government shutdown. When NASA returns, we will reconvene and select a winner. Thank you for your patience with us.

    • 5 años atrás
    1. fbcouto
      fbcouto
      • 5 años atrás

      Thanks! And good luck with this setback.

      • 5 años atrás
  • sumikanth
    sumikanth
    • 5 años atrás

    Gosh - I do hope a winner is selected for this contest. It would be sad to see no one winning at all.

    • 5 años atrás
    1. sumikanth
      sumikanth
      • 5 años atrás

      Wait - what? The contest is reopened for two days?

      • 5 años atrás
    2. sumikanth
      sumikanth
      • 5 años atrás

      Are none of the entries currently satisfactory?

      • 5 años atrás
  • nasacoeci
    Organizador del concurso
    • 5 años atrás

    This contest is now closed (sorry for the delay in the initial ratings for completeness). Thank you for all of your hard work on some really great designs. The team will be evaluating the submissions and announce the winners as soon as we can (likely about 1-2 weeks). There are even more launching this month. We look forward to seeing more of this amazing talent! Thanks!

    • 5 años atrás
    1. sumikanth
      sumikanth
      • 5 años atrás

      Hi - by 'winners' - do you mean that multiple entries may be selected to win the contest?

      • 5 años atrás
    2. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      We are only planning to award to a single winner but reserve the right to award to multiple.

      • 5 años atrás
  • hinamulani03
    hinamulani03
    • 5 años atrás

    Please check my entry #6

    • 5 años atrás
  • sumikanth
    sumikanth
    • 5 años atrás

    Hi - one question. Does it have to be 100% accurate - if there are some small mistakes here and there, do we get a chance to clarify and correct it -or will the entire thing be straight out rejected?

    • 5 años atrás
    1. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      We are not sure we understand your question. Your submission's overall accuracy will play a role in the evaluation, but I'm not sure that a single mistake would cause an outright rejection unless it was a significant error that invalidated the proposed design.

      • 5 años atrás
  • sumikanth
    sumikanth
    • 5 años atrás

    Also, will you definitely be picking a winner in this contest, or is it possible that you may not select anyone?

    • 5 años atrás
    1. sumikanth
      sumikanth
      • 5 años atrás

      It seems there are very few entries - which is why I'm curious if a winner will be chosen or if the contest will be even further extended.

      • 5 años atrás
    2. sumikanth
      sumikanth
      • 5 años atrás

      (It may be that #guaranteed will assure more entries)

      • 5 años atrás
  • sumikanth
    sumikanth
    • 5 años atrás

    One question - which sensor can sense the presence of non-handrail ISS objects? Or is there no such sensor?

    • 5 años atrás
    1. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      There are two sensors on the arm, a proximity sensor and a contact sensor for attaching to the ISS Handrail.

      • 5 años atrás
  • sumikanth
    sumikanth
    • 5 años atrás

    Hi - It would be really helpful if you told us some details about the 'stowed' configuration. Are all actuators at zero degrees in the stowed configuration, or are they at their minimum value?

    • 5 años atrás
    1. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      The stow tool functionality is handled within the Motion Planning software module. Look at C3 and Table 4 for more informatoon.

      • 5 años atrás
    2. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      The arm motion is handled by the Motion Planning Software module.

      • 5 años atrás
  • MarkBravo1
    MarkBravo1
    • 5 años atrás

    Thanks for the extension :)

    Can you explain further what is considered a line o code (LOC), please? For example, do you mean physical or logical LOCs?

    I am finding kind of difficult to estimate the number of LOC based only on architecture-level functionality. So I´m basing my estimation on actual code, and it would be helpful to have a more detailed definition.

    • 5 años atrás
    1. MarkBravo1
      MarkBravo1
      • 5 años atrás

      Hi, thanks for your response.

      I checked that section previously but seems that no detailed definition is given. The section only asks to: "Include an exact number for the total lines of code" and to explain how you get that number, that´s all. For me, those are indications but not definitions. For example... ¿Are non-executable lines of code included in the estimation? ¿What about using a particular programming language? there may be still open questions, at least for me.

      Probably, giving a more detailed definition could help you and your team to evaluate more consistently all the entries too.

      • 5 años atrás
    2. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      We would like you assess the number of lines of code required to make your RASA Submission functional and justify it. That would include discussing what examples you drew on, what you included in your estimate, etc.

      • 5 años atrás
  • TriassicXYZ
    TriassicXYZ
    • 5 años atrás

    Hi, according to R6, The RASA is expected to provide Astrobee with up to date estimates of power and energy usage. But how and when should RASA send this information to Astrobee? Does Astrobee query the RASA to read power values?

    • 5 años atrás
    1. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      Please refer to the system architecture diagram and you will see a 100 hz signal being passed to Astrobee for power use.

      • 5 años atrás
  • MarkBravo1
    MarkBravo1
    • 5 años atrás

    Hi again, another question:

    When you send the stowTool command to the Motion Planner, does this software controls the A7 actuator too? Or is the RASA responsible for doing it? like during the attach sequence for example

    Thanks.

    • 5 años atrás
    1. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      The software is in control of the A7 actuator.

      • 5 años atrás
  • MarkBravo1
    MarkBravo1
    • 5 años atrás

    Hi. Just a question:

    Seems that no indication is given if a “No Handrail” situation occurs, e.i when the arm is commanded to attach and for some reason, it fails.

    Does that mean that the arm always attaches to the handrail successfully, So I don´t have to consider the "No handrail" scenario?

    Thanks

    • 5 años atrás
    1. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      The RASA design should be able to handle a situation if there is no handrail present and be able to be commanded to do another activity, such as stow.

      • 5 años atrás
  • fbcouto
    fbcouto
    • 5 años atrás

    The challenge rules in the first page must be rewritten according to RASAProblemDescription.pdf. I think it is necessary to inform the length of each element so that the calculations can be made.

    • 5 años atrás
    1. fbcouto
      fbcouto
      • 5 años atrás

      Inside the PDF the right text: Challenge Rules: A prize will be awarded for the most efficient, technically
      feasible design,. Design efficiency will be evaluated based on the lowest, credible
      estimated lines of code for implementing a solution.

      • 5 años atrás
    2. nasacoeci
      Organizador del concurso
      • 5 años atrás

      Hi, there was an error with our blurb. The winner will go the terms described in the challenge rules text on most efficient, and technically feasible design.

      • 5 años atrás

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