TRACZ - Testing Robotic Applications for Catching in Zero-g as the first step to research jamming phenomenon in the non-Earth conditions

<div><div>Testing Robotic Applications for Catching in Zero-g is</div><div>a fully autonomous mechatronic experiment, launched on March</div><div>19, 2019, on board the REXUS rocket, during the 26th Campaign</div><div>of the REXUS/BEXUS Programme. The main goal of the</div><div>experiment was to investigate the jamming phenomenon in the</div><div>space environment (microgravity and vacuum) as well as to</div><div>construct a version of industry device known as jamming gripper,</div><div>capable of operating in conditions where negative pressure</div><div>(physical basis of operation in Earth-like conditions) cannot be</div><div>obtained due to the presence of only a residual atmosphere. The</div><div>structure was designed as 1-DOF manipulator, whose effector is an</div><div>elastic membrane that stimulates jamming of ground coffee</div><div>particles inside. During the suborbital flight, a series of catches</div><div>were performed on a single object and the force with which the</div><div>object is held was measured. The results were compared with an</div><div>on-ground experiment.</div></div>