Battery-Swapping Multi-Agent System for Sustained Operation of Large Planetary Fleets

Abstract

We propose a novel, heterogeneous multi-agent architecture that miniaturizes rovers by outsourcing power generation to a central hub. By delegating power generation and distribution functions to this hub, the size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) per rover are reduced, enabling efficient fleet scaling. As these rovers conduct mission tasks around the terrain, the hub charges an array of replacement battery modules. When a rover requires charging, it returns to the hub to initiate an autonomous docking sequence and exits with a fully charged battery. This confers an advantage over direct charging methods, such as wireless or wired charging, by replenishing a rover in minutes as opposed to hours, increasing net rover uptime.

This work shares an open-source platform developed to demonstrate battery swapping on unknown field terrain. We detail our design methodologies utilized for increasing system reliability, with a focus on optimization, robust mechanical design, and verification. Optimization of the system is discussed, including the design of passive guide rails through simulation-based optimization methods which increase the valid docking configuration space by 258%. The full system was evaluated during integrated testing, where an average servicing time of 98 seconds was achieved on surfaces with a gradient up to 10°. We conclude by briefly proposing flight considerations for advancing the system toward a space-ready design. In sum, this prototype represents a proof of concept for autonomous docking and battery transfer on field terrain, advancing its Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 1 to 3.

Publication Details

We are excited to share that our paper was accepted to the 2024 IEEE Aerospace Conference (Aeroconf). We presented our work on March 7th, 2024. A pre-print of the paper is available on arXiv; the paper is officially available on IEEEXplore.

Citing

Plaintext:

E. Holand et al., "Battery-Swapping Multi-Agent System for Sustained Operation of Large Planetary Fleets," 2024 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, USA, 2024, pp. 1-15, doi: 10.1109/AERO58975.2024.10521295.

Bibtex:

@INPROCEEDINGS{10521295,
  author={Holand, Ethan and Homer, Jarrod and Storrer, Alex and Khandeker, Musheeera and Muhlon, Ethan F. and Patel, Maulik and Vainqueur, Ben-oni and Antaki, David and Cooke, Naomi and Wilson, Chloe and Shafai, Bahram and Hanson, Nathaniel and Padır, Taşkın},
  booktitle={2024 IEEE Aerospace Conference}, 
  title={Battery-Swapping Multi-Agent System for Sustained Operation of Large Planetary Fleets}, 
  year={2024},
  volume={},
  number={},
  pages={1-15},
  keywords={Wireless communication;Rails;Prototypes;Optimization methods;Batteries;Outsourcing;Reliability},
  doi={10.1109/AERO58975.2024.10521295}}

† Corresponding author. Email: holand.e@northeastern.edu