Friday 6 February 2009

NASA develops Axel : : a modular mountain climbing robot


No terrain is to difficult for this puppy; it can climb vertical walls, roll over steep and rocky terrain, and explore deep craters.

"Axel can operate upside down and right side up and uses only three motors: one to control each of its two wheels and a third to control a lever. The lever contains a scoop to gather lunar or planetary material for scientists to study, and it also adjusts the robot's two stereo cameras, which can tilt 360 degrees."

The robot has a computer with wifi scope and an inertial sensor to operate autonomously. But the best aspect to its design is its ability to connect to modular copies and potentially become part of a larger system.

Here are some more robust versions being tested by the developers.

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