Design of a Reconfigurable End Effector to be Integrated into the Robotic System used in the NASA JSC Biomass Production Chamber

A robot end effector is described in this paper that has been designed for NASA's Bioregenerative Planetary Life Support Systems Test Complex (BIO-Plex). An adapter concept allows the end effector to carry different types of sensor/probe modules and plant sampling mechanisms. These adapter modules will provide rapid and automatic configuration for a variety of tasks ranging from measurement of environmental conditions to tissue sampling and storage. In the paper, the prototype end effector and climatic sensors adapter that have been constructed are described, along with the biomass production robot system with which it is integrated.