@inproceedings{Keplinger19-IEEE-Softbots,
  title = {Area-of-effect softbots (aoes) for asteroid proximity operations},
  booktitle = {2019 IEEE Aerospace Conference (AERO 2019)},
  abstract = {This paper will provide an introduction and
  overview of Area-of-Effect Softbots (AoES), which are currently in development under a Phase 2 NASA Innovative
  Advanced Concepts (NIAC) project. AoES are designed
  to operate in proximity to, and on the surface of, small
  asteroids to support mining and planetary defense missions.
  Their unique design and capabilities are dependent on the
  incorporation of soft, compliant, and lightweight materials.
  AoES have a large area-to-mass ratio which allows them
  to take advantage of the peculiarities of the dynamical
  environment around small asteroids. Specifically, AoES
  will use solar radiation pressure to sail to the surface of
  the target asteroid after being deployed at a safe altitude
  from a mothership around the asteroid. This capability and
  the associated control laws will be demonstrated, removing
  the need for propulsion systems. Furthermore, the large,
  flexible surface area allows for robustness with respect to
  uncertainty about the asteroid surface structure - it can
  provide flotation to prevent sinking into a very loose, dusty
  regolith, and also provide anchoring to the surface through
  natural and electroadhesion forces.
  The enabling technology that will allow the AoES design
  loop to close is a new class of soft actuators known as
  HASEL actuators. These actuators harness an electrohydraulic mechanism, whereby electrostatic forces generate
  hydraulic pressure to drive shape change in a soft fluidfilled structure. HASELs provide an extremely power- and
  mass-efficient mechanism for actuating the large flexible
  surface areas that are the essential components defining
  AoES. Current system design, requirements, and key tradeoffs will be discussed - with a particular focus on the
  actuation, mobility, anchoring, materials, and power systems/components. The nominal mission profile and concept
  of operations for using},
  pages = {1554--1569},
  publisher = {IEEE},
  institution = {IEEE},
  address = {Piscataway, NJ},
  year = {2019},
  slug = {keplinger19-ieee-softbots},
  author = {McMahon, Jay and Mitchell, Shane K and Oguri, Kenshiro and Kellaris, Nicholas and Kuettel, Donald and Keplinger, Christoph and Bercovici, Benjamin},
  url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=8741680}
}