Abstract: This paper develops a multi-joint foot restraint, which is connected with the space manipulator for astronauts to fix their body and adjust their posture when they are working in space with microgravity. The device can prevent astronauts from escaping by imposing restriction on the boot of the space suit, and can make possible multi-degree of freedom adjustment of posture in on-orbit servicing. This paper designs the mechanical structure of the restraint, conducts kinematic simulation of some key motion mechanisms, and makes experiments to verify the design. The motion range, kinematic accuracy, and locking ability of the restraint are analyzed. The torque slowly loaded and the torque instantaneously loaded are simulated to verify the motion situation of the load limiting unit using Adams.

Key words: foot restraint, mechanism design, simulation analysis, posture adjustment, load limiting unit