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Japan to send baseball-sized moving robot to moon

Illustration from an article titled Japan Sends This Little Robotic Ball Directly to the Moon

Draw: JAXA / TUMI Corporation / Sony / Université Doshisha

Japan’s aerospace exploration agency has teamed up with Sony, Doshisha University and toy maker Tomy to send a baseball-sized mutant cart to the moon. What time is it to be alive, my prince?

This little robot bears a huge responsibility: it will collect comprehensive data on the surface of the Moon until the JAXA manned vehicle is launched in 2029, He can turn around. To further develop autonomous driving technology and launch the technology the rover will use on its journey, JAXA needs to study the potential effects of the gravitational pull of the moon, which is one sixth on Earth, and the Earth’s layer. regolith, also known as lunar dirt. , the agency said to cover its surface. Publicity I spotted this week for the first time Octet.

The ultra small and light robot is approximately 3.1 inches (80mm) in diameter and weighs approximately half a pound (250g). You will embark on a flight aboard a lunar lander from the Japanese company ispace, where the flight will begin as a pressurized ball and then open in a “race shape” afterwards. You reach the surface of the moon.

“As the robot moves on the surface of the moon, images of the behavior of the regolith and images of the surface of the moon taken by the robot and the camera on the lunar landing craft will be sent to the mission control center via the lunar landing craft ”. Said Jaxa.

JAXA has been working on Android since 2016 alongside Tomy, the Japanese game maker behind Transformers and Beyblades. Sony (which you know a thing or two about Rolling robotsShe signed on to the project in 2019 and showcased the robot control system, while Doshisha University joined in 2021 and helped Tomy expand his overall design.

“Since [company’s] Basically, we create games with safe and reliable quality, a spirit of craftsmanship, attention to detail, a flexible imagination and most importantly a strong desire to make children smile, ”said Kantaro Tomiyama, CEO and President of Tomy in the JAXA press release. “I sincerely hope that we will benefit from it. Among them, this opportunity to explore space and to get children more interested in natural sciences, including space. ”

The small robotic ball that could be aimed at the moon in 2022. Due to its compact design and versatility, “it should also play an active role in future lunar exploration missions,” according to JAXA. Come on oh man of the night.

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