Drilling Mechanism of Autonomous Burrowing Robot for Lunar Subsurface Exploration

Lunar and planetary subsurface exploration is of considerable significance. The authors have studied the strategies for subsurface excavation and propulsion for the development of a lunar subsurface explorer. The authors have proposed an autonomous robotic explorer which can burrow into the soils. Based on the strategies the authors have already considered, this paper especially focuses on the excavation mechanism of a robotic system for near-future lunar subsurface exploration. The main objective of the proposed robot is to bury a scientific observation instrument like a long-term seismometer under the lunar surface, which is covered with very compacted lunar regolith. Therefore, an efficient excavation mechanism is required. In this paper, the authors propose a new screw drilling system with double rotation, which is called N-RDM (Non-Reaction Drilling Mechanism). Through some experiments and analyses, this paper discusses the feasibility and effectiveness for the proposal of a burrowing robot system.