Improved Alignment Mechanism for Robotic Drilling

An improved alignment mechanism and mating procedure have been devised for a robotic drilling system in which there is a need to assemble drill stem rods for sampling soils and rocks on a distant planet or asteroid. This mechanism is applicable to systems requiring positive axial alignment between segments. Similar mechanisms could be used on Earth, not only for assembling long drills but also for any system where a series of rods must be robotically assembled, such as in truss construction.