Can Robots Build a Moon Base for Astronauts? Japan Hopes to Find Out.
Can Robots Build a Moon Base for Astronauts? Japan Hopes to Find Out.
By Elizabeth Howell 21 hours ago
A moon base could be constructed remotely.(Image: © JAXA)
Japan's space agency wants to create a moon base with the help of robots that can work autonomously, with little human supervision.
The project, which has racked up three years of research so far, is a collaboration between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the construction company Kajima Corp., and three Japanese universities: Shibaura Institute of Technology, The University of Electro-Communications and Kyoto University.
Recently, the collaboration did an experiment on automated construction at the Kajima Seisho Experiment Site in Odawara (central Japan).
A 7-ton autonomous backhoe went through its paces at the site, going through procedures such as driving a specified distance and repeating routine operations, JAXA officials said in a statement. Operations that required more fine handling were performed with a human, by remote control.
More:
https://www.space.com/japan-robots-build-moon-base.html