NASA's Axel
rover is a whirling robot designed for the most challenging terrain on the Moon
and beyond. NASA refers to a robot like the Axel rover as a 'tethered marsupial
rover' because it would spend most of its time attached to a larger vehicle
until it is needed.
The Axel
rover prototype is built like a yo-yo; its tether is wrapped around its
central axle. The other end of the tether would be attached to a larger,
conventional rover robot, like the Spirit
and Opportunity rovers on Mars. The Axel rover solves a problem that bedevils these
conventional robots. When Spirit, for example, encounters a crater, it cannot
descend and explore.
However, the Axel
can; it lets gravity pull down, whirling the rover around. It uses its arm to
gather samples; its stereoscopic cameras gather visual details. When it has
finished its duties, it can wind itself back up to the top, to be stored again
for later use.
According to Pablo
Abad-Manterola, one of the contributing CalTech students:
"Right now, it's
really risky for astronauts or robots, for example, like Spirit an Opportunity
to go into craters. The ground is too loose and the slopes are too steep. So
it's too risky for those robots to get into those craters and perform any
interesting science. So this robot would be very useful for those types of
scenarios, where you can really dive into those craters, pick up some samples,
and really analyze them and tell us something really new and interesting about
Mars or the moon, for example."
The Axel
rover is really a marvel of simplicity. With just three actuators, it can
control its wheels and trailing link. The robot can pick and choose its way
down a slope, even turning in place if necessary.
"Axel can readily
support different wheel types and sizes ranging from large foldable wheels to
inflatable ones. In this way, it can traverse steep and rocky terrains, and
tolerate strong impacts during landing or driving. Additionally, Axel is
designed with co-location of its sensors, actuators, electronics, power, and
payload inside the central cylinder. This configuration provides compactness
for launch, and robustness against environmental extremes in planetary
missions."
The whirling Axel rover
reminds me of those wonderful whirling tripedal spider
robots from Arthur
C. Clarke's 1972 novel Rendezvous With Rama.
(This Science Fiction
in the News story used with permission of Technovelgy.com)
advertisement
