AstroAnt: MIT miniature robot for inspection tasks on the moon
AstroAnts, small mobile robots, can monitor devices or vehicles on the moon, for example. They have magnetic wheels and all kinds of sensors on board.
A prototype of an AstroAnt moves around on a rover platform.
(Image: Fangzheng Liu)
The Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with the lubricant manufacturer Castrol, has developed small robots that can carry out monitoring tasks on the moon and be used to collect data on lunar rovers. The first AstroAnts are due to fly to the South Pole of the moon as early as 2025.
The small AstroAnts have a modular design and can be used for various tasks. Depending on the mission, they can be equipped with cameras and sensors. For example, they can monitor devices or vehicles, such as a lunar rover, and collect environmental data.
AstroAnts are miniature robots that can work alone or in a swarm. They are equipped with four magnetic wheels that allow them to hold on to magnetic surfaces even in low gravity. This includes, for example, a moon rover on which the miniature robot can move freely and use its sensors to detect overheating at different points or minor metorite impacts on the rover without contact. An AstroAnt can overcome obstacles with angles of 80 degrees. It will also travel on the rover with its camera and specially adapted sensors and collect information about its surroundings.
Moon mission with AstroAnts
The plan is to mount such an AstroAnt on a Lunar Outpost Mapp Rover, which is to be brought to the moon by a Nova-C lander from Intuitive Machines. The flight with a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX is planned for 2025.
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The MIT Media Lab tested the AstroAnts in a field test on the Spanish island of Lanzarote in February 2024. There, the robots drove on a moon-like, difficult and varied terrain to test their performance. The results enabled the researchers to narrow down the areas of application for the AstroAnts.
The MIT Media Lab and Castrol have been working on the AstroAnts since 2023, with Castrol supplying the lubricants that should also function reliably in space.
(olb)