China presents a desert lizard-like robot to explore Mars

Exploring Mars is beneficial for improving our knowledge and understanding of the possibility of ancient microbial life there, as well as discovering new extraterrestrial resources, to prepare for future human missions to Mars.

To support ambitious unmanned missions to Mars, vehicles, ships, and planetary rovers have been developed to perform missions on the Martian surface. However, because the Martian surface is composed of granular soils and rocks of various sizes, modern rovers and rovers may have difficulty moving on soft soil and climbing over rocks. .

To overcome those difficulties, researchers in China recently developed a four-legged crawling robot inspired by the flexible movement characteristics of desert lizards.

Initial tests have confirmed the lizard robot's suitability for simulated Mars-like terrain, including granular soil and rocky surfaces. (Photo: NUAA)

Developed by a team at China's Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), this innovative four-legged robot is built using 3D printed plastic, it works on a mechanism that mirrors a crawling motion. exceptionally agile, with the remarkable precision of a desert lizard.

Here, researchers have developed a four-legged robot that simulates the biological structure of the spine, legs and feet of a desert lizard, with updated joint structures to increase movement stability. for robots.

In addition to the main motor, the lizard robot also incorporates four auxiliary motors to provide flexibility, and stability, with eight springs to enhance load-carrying capacity and reduce vibration. Each robot leg has two hinges for climbing motion, with upgraded hip joints ensuring stable lift. The robot's ankles can actively rotate, flexible toes are equipped with claws to enhance grip, and the ability to adapt to terrain types.

In addition, kinematic models are also set up to coordinately create diverse movements for the robot.

Powered by a 12 Volt lithium-ion battery, the lizard robot is equipped with a power cord, voltage regulator, controller to facilitate stable swaying motion and grasping of soil and rocks. effective. Achieving this functionality is challenging, according to the researchers, requiring considerable engineering and technological effort, time, and meticulous calculations to make the robotic lizard project a reality.

Initial tests have confirmed its suitability and effectiveness for simulated Mars-like terrains. The team claims that the biomimetic robot demonstrated promising capabilities in grasping, and moving across, both granular soils and rock surfaces, demonstrating advances in robotic exploration technology for the extraterrestrial environment.