# An integrated process for design and control of lunar robotics using AI and simulation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.12367 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.12367/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 12 of its 27 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 15 Sep 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 12 of 12)

- [OpenVLA: An Open-Source Vision-Language-Action Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.09246/) (2024)
- [A Careful Examination of Large Behavior Models for Multitask Dexterous Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.05331/) (2025)
- [URDFormer: A Pipeline for Constructing Articulated Simulation Environments from Real-World Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.11656/) (2024)
- [A Survey of Behavior Trees in Robotics and AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.05842/) (2020)
- [Text2Robot: Evolutionary Robot Design from Text Descriptions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.19963/) (2024)
- [Control of rough terrain vehicles using deep reinforcement learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.01867/) (2021)
- [A multiscale model of terrain dynamics for real-time earthmoving simulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.00459/) (2020)
- [Continuous control of an underground loader using deep reinforcement learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.01283/) (2021)
- [Examining the simulation-to-reality gap of a wheel loader digging in deformable terrain](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.05765/) (2023)
- [Sim-to-real transfer of active suspension control using deep reinforcement learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.11171/) (2023)
- [World Modeling for Autonomous Wheel Loaders](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.12016/) (2023)
- [A simulation framework for autonomous lunar construction work](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.22091/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We envision an integrated process for developing lunar construction equipment, where physical design and control are explored in parallel. In this paper, we describe a technical framework that supports this process. It relies on OpenPLX, a readable/writable declarative language that links CAD-models and autonomous systems to high-fidelity, real-time 3D simulations of contacting multibody dynamics, machine regolith interaction forces, and non-ideal sensors. To demonstrate its capabilities, we present two case studies, including an autonomous lunar rover that combines a vision-language model for navigation with a reinforcement learning-based control policy for locomotion.