Strategy optimization for energy efficient extraterrestrial drilling using combined power map

Extraterrestrial drilling is an important sampling method for understanding the formation of another celestial body and finding traces of life beyond earth. Currently, such tasks mainly rely on remotely controlled space robots. Because of limited energy available for space robots, it is highly demanded to improve the energy efficiency in the extraterrestrial drilling tasks. In this paper, we propose an algorithm called combined power map (CPM) method that can optimize extraterrestrial drilling strategies in order to improve energy efficiency. The algorithm comprehensively considers the effect of sampling positions, robot positions, and robotic arm configurations on drilling energy consumption and has the ability to manage the energy efficiency gain and corresponding risks. Simulations show that the CPM method can significantly reduce the drilling energy consumption and effectively limit accompanying risks.