A protractible and retractable mast system for an autonomous mobile robot includes an elongate flexible member including a first lateral end and a second lateral end, and a fastener having a first portion extending along a length of the first lateral end and a second portion extending along a length of the second lateral end. The flexible member is configured to be at least partially coiled within a body of the robot, and a portion of the flexible member is vertically movable away from the body when the flexible member is being uncoiled. The fastener is configured to connect the first lateral end to the second lateral end when the flexible member is being uncoiled, and disconnect the first lateral end from the second lateral end when the flexible member is being coiled.

An assembly that includes a wedge and mandrel that share an axis of rotation and can be rotated independently or simultaneously to stow or deploy slit-tube longerons. A wedge is crescent shaped, with a height that increases along an outer perimeter as the arc of the crescent is traversed from a first end to a second end. The changing height of the wedge allows a slit-tube longeron to be flattened for stowage or can be disengaged to allow the tube to curl up for deployment.

A protractible and retractable mast system for an autonomous mobile robot includes an elongate flexible member including a first lateral end and a second lateral end, and a fastener having a first portion extending along a length of the first lateral end and a second portion extending along a length of the second lateral end. The flexible member is configured to be at least partially coiled within a body of the robot, and a portion of the flexible member is vertically movable away from the body when the flexible member is being uncoiled. The fastener is configured to connect the first lateral end to the second lateral end when the flexible member is being uncoiled, and disconnect the first lateral end from the second lateral end when the flexible member is being coiled.

There is disclosed a surveillance apparatus comprising: a retractable support member the member having a first end and a second end; a housing; a spooling mechanism mounted at the housing, and being rotatable relative to the housing, and being attached to the second end of the retractable support member, the spooling mechanism being: Operable to rotate in a first direction to convert the retractable support member from a coiled condition to an extended condition and thereby pay-out the support member from the housing, Operable to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first to convert the retractable support member from the extended condition to the coiled condition and thereby retract the support member into the housing; A mount attached to the first end of the retractable support member; A surveillance device attached to the mount for receiving environmental signals, a human interface remote from the surveillance device; and an electrical connection operably connecting the surveillance device to the human interface, the electrical connection comprising an electrical rotary joint between the housing and the spooling mechanism, such that the surveillance device may be supported, remote from the human interface by paying out the member.

The invention provides an extendible member (10) which is configurable between a coiled form (11) and an extended form (12). The extendible member (10) comprises: a primary member (14) comprising a sheet of material resiliently biased in a slit tube form, wherein the slit tube can be opened out at the slit to assume an open form in which it has a flattened cross section; at least one resilient secondary member (15) having first and second connections to the primary member (14) at respective different circumferential positions on the primary member (14), wherein in the extended form, the primary member (14) is in its slit tube form and the resiliency of the secondary member (15) causes at least part of the secondary member (15) to displace towards the slit in the primary member (14) to provide torsional and axial stiffness to the primary member (14), and wherein in the coiled form (11), the primary member (14) is in its open form and the secondary member (15) conforms to the flattened cross section of the primary member (149) so that primary and secondary member can be co-coiled. Corresponding methods are also provided.

A protractible and retractable mast system for an autonomous mobile robot includes an elongate flexible member including a first lateral end and a second lateral end, and a fastener having a first portion extending along a length of the first lateral end and a second portion extending along a length of the second lateral end. The flexible member is configured to be at least partially coiled within a body of the robot, and a portion of the flexible member is vertically movable away from the body when the flexible member is being uncoiled. The fastener is configured to connect the first lateral end to the second lateral end when the flexible member is being uncoiled, and disconnect the first lateral end from the second lateral end when the flexible member is being coiled.

A surveillance apparatus includes a retractable support member; a housing; a spooling mechanism mounted at the housing, and being rotatable relative to the housing, and being attached to a second end of the retractable support member. The spooling mechanism is operable to rotate in a first direction to convert the retractable support member from a coiled condition to an extended condition and thereby pay-out the support member from the housing, and operable to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first to convert the retractable support member from the extended condition to the coiled condition and thereby retract the support member into the housing. A mount is attached to a first end of the retractable support member; a surveillance device is attached to the mount.

A tape drive comprises a roll of a tape that can be extended from a rolled state to an extended state. The tape includes a rigid material that supports the tape and a pliable material disposed at least partially on one side of the tape. A compression roller is disposed on a side of the tape and is biased toward the tape. A drive roller is disposed on the other side of the tape. The drive roller comprises an uneven surface that mechanically engages the pliable material of the tape, without protruding through the tape, as a result of the bias of the compression roller forcing the tape toward the drive roller. A motor turns the drive roller to extend the tape from the roll as the protrusions of the uneven surface of the drive roller mechanically engage the pliable material of the tape as the drive roller turns.

The present disclosure describes a method of deploying an extensible boom from a housing. Sheets supporting respective arrays of photovoltaic devices are deployed substantially simultaneously so that a first sheet is deployed in a first direction from the housing and a second sheet is deployed in an opposite direction from the housing. Angular momentum imparted by deploying the first sheet is canceled by angular momentum imparted by deploying the second sheet. The housing can be part of a space satellite, such that the first and second sheets are deployed without causing the satellite to move out of its orbit.

Exemplary embodiments described herein include innovative engagement devices. Exemplary engagement devices may include on or more tape spring systems. The tape spring system may include a continuous or segmented bi-stable tape spring. The tape spring can be stowed in a rolled up configuration, extended to a deployed configuration, and then triggered to return to a retracted configuration.