Robot team to explore the moon

Swiss researchers have equipped robots developed in Zurich with measuring instruments for lunar missions and taught them teamwork. The project won the European Space Resources Challenge and will be further developed.

A Swiss group of researchers led by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) is making robots fit for future lunar missions. As part of their project, the group has equipped three ANYmal robots with measuring instruments to help them find minerals on the moon. ANYmal is a four-legged walking robot that was developed at ETH and has since been marketed by the ETH spin-off ANYbotics.

The researchers have not only equipped the three walking robots with special devices. They also taught them how to work as a team. To do this, they have equipped all three robots with various special capabilities, as ETH explains in a statement. One robot is good at mapping the terrain, for example, while the other specializes in the precise determination of rocks. The third robot is a so-called generalist, which can perform all tasks, just not as precisely. According to ETH, the ability to work as a team should make the robots robust in the face of any failure and increase their efficiency.

As ETH now announces, the project was among the winners of the Space Resources Challenge competition held a few months ago by the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The prize is a one-year research contract to further develop the technology.

In addition to ETH, the universities of Basel, Bern and Zurich were involved in the project. ce/ssp

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