Shirase Glacier is known to one of the fastest ice streams in Antarctic glaciers, and it is important to monitor the flow velocity of the glacier because of understanding the discharge of ice mass in Antarctica. The authors have shown that the flow velocity of Shirase Glacier can be estimated by applying the image correlation method to the amplitude images derived from the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar type 2 (PALSAR-2) onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) [1]. In this paper, we show the validation results of the estimated flow velocity applied the image correlation method to the PALSAR-2 data, based on the flow velocity measured from the latitude and longitude information using the GNSS receiver on the ice radar (ApRES) simultaneously with the PALSAR-2 observation. As a result, the RMS error between the measured and estimated flow velocity of Shirase Glacier was 0.046 km a−1, and the estimated flow velocity obtained using the image correlation method applied to the PALSAR-2 data is proved to be in good agreement with the ground truth.

This study presents that temporal variations in ice flow velocities for Shirase Glacier and its surrounding landfast ice in Liitzow-Holm Bay, East Antarctica were estimated using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired by the Phased Array L-band SAR-2 (PALSAR-2) onboard Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) in 2015-2018. The images were analyzed using image correlation. The flow velocity at the 20 km downstream from the grounding line (GL) of Shirase Glacier is mean of 2.32 km a-1in 2015-2018, which show that flow velocity is considered to be less related to the landfast ice stability. However, the flow velocity around 50 km downstream from the GL show changes related to landfast ice condition. The flow velocity is more increasable of 0.3 km a-1under the unstable landfast ice condition than the stable landfast ice condition. Therefore, our results show the velocity of Shirase Glacier are associated with the condition of landfast ice stability or instability.

We have a plan to build the ocean-continent boundary database at Antarctica mainly to apply InSAR analysis technique using ERS-1 and ERS-2 tandem mission data. This database shows the snapshot of the state of Antarctic ice shelves and ice sheet in 1995-1996, when the tandem mission operated. The ocean-continent boundary data consist of grounding line and coast line, both which have vector property, and these vector data are stored by ESRI shape format (SHP), which is the world's standard vector format. This database will be expected to be used for ice mass flux study at Antarctica and is opened public on internet in this year to contribute the International Polar Year (IPY) activities and anyone can access this database freely through web browser.

To successfully incorporate human skills into a wearable robot, it is required to design its joint mechanism so that it does not interfere with the human skills. From this viewpoint, this paper first addresses six design goals for the joint mechanism. Based on the result of preliminary examination for two well-known mechanisms, a new 6-DOF mechanism referred to as the Wearable HEXA mechanism is proposed. This is based on the HEXA, which has been originally developed as a high-speed manipulator. Detail of its design process is given, and evaluation of a trial mechanism manufactured along the design process is also reported.

It has been pointed out that the hard structure of an EVA glove deteriorates efficiency of tasks in the space environment. We also found a claim that an EVA glove did not allow an astronaut to acquire contact information at the fingertips. In the study, we proposed a SkilMate Hand for space EVA gloves which has both a tactile media and a power assist devices. We locate SkilMate in a wider framework of wearable intelligent machines which assist in affording such working surroundings that they can exhibit their skills in spite of their necessity for wearing special suits typically in hazardous environments. The paper focuses on the development of a finger system of a SkilMate Hand, and begins with determination of the design guidelines through analyses from an interview with an astronaut. To improve the task efficiency, we manufacture a power assist device which compensates the bending moment exerted at a human finger joint utilizing an ultrasonic motor. We show the structure and the control strategy of the motor drives. To overcome the second problem of tactile insensibleness, we produce a tactile media device which is composed of a slip sensor element on the outer side and a vibrotactile display element on the inner side of a SkilMate Hand. Transduction characteristics of both pressure sensitive conductive rubber and piezo-rubber are experimentally examined in the low temperature region. Finally, piezo-rubber is chosen to be used as a slip sensing transducer.

We have developed a light-weight space manipulator, Self-Mobile Space Manipulator (SM'), in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. SM' is a 7-degreeof-freedom (DOF), 1/3-scale, laboratory version of a robot designed to walk on the trusswork and other exterior surfaces of Space Station Freedom, and to perform manipulation tasks that are required for inspection, maintenance, and construction. Combining the mobility and manip ulation functions in one body as a mobile manipulator, SM2 is capable of routine tasks such as inspection, parts transportation, object lighting, and simple assembly procedures. The system will provide assistance to astronauts and greatly reduce the need for astronaut extra-vehicular activity (EVA). This paper discusses the robot hardware development, gravity compensation system, control structure and teleoperation functions of the SM2 system, and demonstrates its capabilities of locomotion and manipulation in space applications.