SBIR Phase I: High Power Microwave Robot for Industrial Extra-Terrestrial Resource Extraction

SBIR 第一阶段：用于工业级地外资源开采的高功率微波机器人

• 批准号: 2136875
• 负责人: Mohsen Yazdani
• 金额: $ 25.24万
• 依托单位: OFF-WORLD, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-03-01 至 2022-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2136875&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Power; Microwave; Robot

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to create a viable microwave device for material processing on the Moon and other planetary bodies. The innovation may reduce the effort required to extract ice volatiles from inside solid materials by 2-3 times compared to current lunar excavation methods and could be used without preconditioning. Lunar extraction may reduce the cost of obtaining essential materials on the surface of the Moon by an order of magnitude, compared to supply from the Earth. Such a technology will have two key societal impacts. First, as human populations continue to expand, critical resources on Earth are becoming increasingly scarce and having another extra-terrestrial source may provide the resources needed on Earth. Second, the development of a space resource-use ecosystem may catalyze technical education, interest, and economic development in addition to fueling continued Gross National Product (GDP) growth. Accessing water cheaply in the lunar and near-Earth environment to produce mission-critical water, hydrogen, and oxygen, is essential for this outcome. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to design a high-power Bessel beam microwave projector for installation onto an autonomous robot, for the preconditioning or softening of materials by supplying impulses of energy at high rates. The innovation distinguishes itself due to the ability to focus high density energy from a stand-off distance. The research involves the investigation of the subcomponents of the system to address expected capabilities which include: the ability to project a “pencil beam” from a stand-off distance using a multi-reflector assembly, tolerance of the surface properties of the materials being treated, and electronic steering of the projected beam using phase shifting to improve focus. The research will start with simulations to lay the foundations for an autonomous and mobile microwave system with the listed capabilities. The project will develop, using simulation, the Bessel beam platform, perform the initial robotic designs, and source system integrators for the microwave and robotic components needed for subsequent development phases. Specifically, this system would be used in space mining applications towards the retrieval of ice volatiles such as water, methane, carbon monoxide and dioxide, and ammonia, that are found in cold shadowed craters at the lunar poles.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力旨在创建一个可行的微波设备，用于月球和其他行星上的材料加工。与目前的月球挖掘方法相比，这项创新可以减少从内部固体材料中提取冰挥发物所需的工作量2-3倍，并且可以在没有预处理的情况下使用。 与从地球供应相比，月球开采可能会将在月球表面获得基本材料的成本降低一个数量级。这种技术将产生两个关键的社会影响。首先，随着人口的不断增长，地球上的关键资源正变得越来越稀缺，而另一个地外资源可能会提供地球上所需的资源。其次，太空资源利用生态系统的发展可能会促进技术教育，兴趣和经济发展，以及推动国民生产总值（GDP）的持续增长。在月球和近地环境中廉价地回收水，以生产关键任务的水、氢和氧，这对实现这一目标至关重要。 这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在设计一个高功率贝塞尔光束微波投影仪，用于安装在自动机器人上，通过以高速率提供能量脉冲来预处理或软化材料。该创新因其能够从远距离聚焦高密度能量而与众不同。该研究涉及调查的子组件的系统，以解决预期的能力，其中包括：项目的“笔形光束”，从一个远离距离使用多反射器组件，公差的表面特性的材料被处理，和电子转向的投影光束使用相移，以提高焦点。研究将从模拟开始，为具有所列功能的自主和移动的微波系统奠定基础。该项目将使用仿真技术开发Bessel波束平台，执行初始机器人设计，并为后续开发阶段所需的微波和机器人组件提供系统集成商。具体来说，该系统将用于太空采矿应用，以回收在月球两极冷阴影陨石坑中发现的冰挥发物，如水，甲烷，一氧化碳和二氧化碳，以及氨。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。