https://github.com/dlr-rm/floats

https://github.com/dlr-rm/floats

Last synced: 5 months ago
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• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/dlr-rm/floats
• Owner: DLR-RM
• Created: 2025-08-05T11:52:50.000Z (5 months ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2025-08-19T14:01:17.000Z (5 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2025-08-19T15:37:58.449Z (5 months ago)
• Language: Python
• Size: 19.6 MB
• Stars: 0
• Watchers: 0
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md

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README

          
# FLOATS: Flexible Light-weight On-orbit Actuator Simulation

A simulation framework for free-flying soft robots in microgravity.

---

## About the Project

FLOATS facilitates realistic simulation of locomotion, manipulation, and planning for deformable on-orbit systems.

We demonstrate grasping, free-floating object reconfiguration, and mobile manipulation tasks as a baseline for research on soft robotics planning and control in microgravity.

![Hero Image](./images/hero_image.png)

## Features

- **PyBullet Simulation Environment**:

  - Loads ISS environment and mission objects.

- **Manipulator Control**:

  - Load and configure a soft continuum manipulator.

  - Apply torque control and set contact properties.

- **Path Planning Algorithms**:

  - RRT

  - RRT*

  - RRT-Connect

  - A* search 

- **Grasping Strategies**:

  - Apply hard-coded trajectories for inhand-manipulation, 

  - Execute torque-based grasps with dynamic adjustments.

## Getting Started

  ### Test inhand manipulation 

  You can perform inhand manipulation by grasping a cargo transfer bag and rotating it by 180 or 360 degrees. The procedure consists of three phases: grasping, releasing with induced

  spin, and timed regrasping. Therefore, we use a trajectory defined in "trajectory_inhand_manipulation", that you can adapt to also manipulate different objects.

  ![Inhand Manipulation - First Orientation](./images/inhand_manipulation_1.png)    ![Inhand Manipulation - Second Orientation](./images/inhand_manipulation_2.png) 

  

  ```bash

  python test_inhand_manipulation.py

  ```

  ### Test grasping 

  We provide a grasping benchmark with six space-relevant objects. These include a camera, a cargo transfer bag, a sample tube, a rover wheel, a grease gun, and a crew bag. However, only cargo transfer   bag, rover wheel and crew bag can be grasped sucessfully from all six directions.

  ![Test Grasping - Camera](./images/grasping_camera.png)   ![Test Grasping - Crew Bag](./images/grasping_crew_bag.png) 

  

  ```bash

  python test_grasping.py

  ```

  ### Test path planning 

  We simulate module-to-module transfer of a camera from the Kibo ELM-PS module to the Cupola module. The experiment allows for four standard planning algorithms: A*, RRT, RRT*, and RRT-Connect.

  ![Test Grasping - Camera](./images/path_planning.png) 

  

  ```bash

  python test_planning.py

  ```

### Prerequisites

```bash

SOMO: https://github.com/GrauleM/somo.git

Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 18.04 with Python 3.6.9

Ubuntu 20.04 with Python 3.6.9, 3.7.9 and 3.8.2

Windows 10 with Python 3.7 through Anaconda

```