On the validation of a hardware-in-the-loop simulation facility for the space station dexterous manipulator: SPDM

This paper describes a plan and the technical rationale behind the plan for validating a complex, hardware-in-the-loop simulation facility-SPDM Test and Verification Facility (STVF). The facility is being developed by the Canadian Space Agency for the purpose of verifying the contact dynamic performance of the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) performing various maintenance tasks on the International Space Station. Because the real SPDM cannot be physically tested for 3D operations on the ground due to gravity effect, STVF becomes critical for testing and verifying the robot's performance before the launch of the robot. STVF uses a high-fidelity SPDM simulation model, known as the "truth model", to drive its hardware robot for contact operations. The objective of the R&D work described in this paper is to develop a methodology and procedure to prove that the complex hardware-in-the-loop facility preserves the dynamics of the truth simulation model of SPDM.