Reduced Interface Model of Flexible Space Robotic Arms and the Application for Robotic Interaction Tasks

Dynamic simulation plays a critical role in the design and testing of space robotic systems. However, it becomes challenging when dealing with complex systems or tasks involving interactions among multiple subsystems. In such scenarios, improving simulation efficiency is essential. Techniques like model order reduction and co-simulation can be effective in addressing these challenges. The reduced interface model (RIM) is a recently introduced model order reduction technique that captures the dynamics of the full system within a reduced space of motion of interest. RIM can enhance simulation performance, particularly in model-based co-simulation, making it well-suited for space robotics applications that involve subsystem interactions. When applying RIM to robotic arms with flexible components, special considerations must be taken during its formulation. This paper presents a systematic derivation of the flexible RIM and demonstrates its effectiveness in space robotic interaction tasks.