Lunar Surface Manipulation System

NASA's Langley Research Center offers a novel lifting and precision positioning device with hybrid functional characteristics of both crane-type lifting devices and robotic manipulators. The design of the Lunar Surface Manipulation System (LSMS) allows for fine positioning with complete control over both translation and rotation of the payload. In addition, the design permits several other operations using a wide variety of special-purpose tools — such as a bucket, pallet forks, grappling devices, sensor, and visualization packages — and dexterous robotic arms that can be quickly added to the tip.