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.

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力旨在创建一种可行的微波设备，用于在月球和其他行星体上进行材料处理。该创新可能会减少从固体内部提取冰挥发物所需的工作量。与目前的月球挖掘方法相比，可以在不进行预处理的情况下使用，与从地球供应的材料相比，月球表面获取必要材料的成本可以降低一个数量级。技术将有两个首先，随着人口的不断增长，地球上的关键资源变得越来越稀缺，而另一个地外来源可能会提供地球上所需的资源；其次，空间资源利用生态系统的发展可能会促进技术进步。除了推动国民生产总值 (GDP) 的持续增长之外，教育、兴趣和经济发展对于实现这一成果至关重要。小企业创新研究(SBIR) 第一阶段项目旨在设计一种安装在自主机器人上的高功率贝塞尔光束微波投影仪，通过提供高速率的能量脉冲来预处理或软化材料。该创新因其聚焦能力而脱颖而出。该研究涉及对系统子组件的研究，以实现预期的功能，其中包括：使用多反射器组件从远距离投射“笔形光束”的能力，的耐受性该研究将从模拟开始，为具有所列功能的自主移动微波系统奠定基础。具体来说，该系统将用于空间采矿应用，以回收冰挥发物，例如水，甲烷、一氧化碳在月球两极的冷阴影陨石坑中发现的二氧化碳和氨。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。