Configurable-Tread Rover Wheel for Lunar Surface Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need to create long-lasting designs or messages on the surfaces of extraterrestrial bodies like the Moon, which requires a method to alter the surface material in a way that withstands natural and human-induced changes, and to transmit images of these designs back to Earth for reproduction and delivery as merchandise.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a device on an extraterrestrial body with a surface altering tool, such as a configurable-tread rover wheel, and a communication system that allows for remote control to create designs on the surface and transmit images back to Earth, enabling the production of made-to-order designs on extraterrestrial surfaces, including the Moon, using a motorized vehicle equipped with an imaging device and a communication system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If a design is created on the surface of an extraterrestrial body, then the design can remain unaltered for extremely long periods, but the complexity of the system required to create and maintain the design increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by selecting extraterrestrial bodies with specific stable characteristics (absence of atmosphere, seismic activity, thermal cycling, volcanic activity, asteroid bombardment, flowing liquids) before creating the design. This pre-selection of a suitable environment ensures long-term preservation without requiring complex active maintenance systems, thereby resolving the contradiction between duration and complexity.
2Reliability
If a surface altering tool is used to create a design, then a long-lasting mark is produced, but the risk of alteration by natural or human activity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the inert environment principle by selecting extraterrestrial bodies that naturally lack atmospheres and other reactive environmental factors. The vacuum environment and absence of weathering processes create an inert setting where the designed mark is protected from natural alteration, thereby enhancing reliability while minimizing exposure to harmful factors.
3Manufacturing precision
If a configurable-tread rover wheel is used to rearrange surface material, then precise design creation is possible, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by using a configurable-tread rover wheel where the tread pattern can be dynamically adjusted or reconfigured. This allows the same wheel structure to create different design patterns by changing its surface configuration, thereby achieving manufacturing precision without requiring multiple specialized wheels, thus improving ease of manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing designs involves receiving a request to create a design on the surface of an extraterrestrial body, transmitting a control signal to a device on a vehicle on the extraterrestrial body, the control signal causing the device to create the design, and receiving an image signal providing an image of the design created on the surface. A device for producing the designs includes a surface altering tool configured to rearrange material on the surface. The tool may be provided as a configurable-tread rover wheel that includes a wheel hub having radially-extending channels, and tread elements supported in the channels that are selectively articulatable under the control of a control module to form a tread pattern corresponding to a design intended to be produced. The tread elements may be selectively extended or retracted by operation of an array of solenoids controlled by the control module.