China's Tiangong Space Station Features 3rd Robotic Arm to Help Astronauts in Daily Activities

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 08 November 2023, 07:11 pm

The Chinese space station, Tiangong, has recently added a new arm inside its Mengitan experiment module that is focused on assisting astronauts in their studies and research. This goes alongside the renowned pair of robotic arms that the Tiangong has on its exterior, known for its large size, focusing on the outside operations that crawl on the Tiangong.

Robotic arms have helped researchers and scientists with their studies better, and some use it as a third helping hand as needed, designed for various activities.

China's Tiangong Space Station Features a Third Robotic Hand

(Photo : CNS/AFP via Getty Images)

China's broadcast agency, CCTV, has unveiled the country's latest addition to its Tiangong space station, and this is a robotic arm fit inside its experiment module, meant to help its astronauts. This new arm is regarded as their third addition centering on the mechanical arms that focus on offering assistance for Tiangong's residents, featuring a smaller and dextrous arm inside.

This new addition sports 27.5 inches to 31.4 inches of a robotic arm, with its operational accuracy boasting a reach of 0.004 inches (01. millimeters).

According to Zhang Lu, a researcher at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (via Space.com), this arm can have various tools fixed to it for various purposes, depending on their needs.

Tiangong Space Station's 3rd Hand for Astronauts

This third hand in the Tiangong space station is meant to assist astronauts with their everyday operations in the orbiting lab module, and it can lend its assistance for various purposes, from experiments or research, down to daily activities. Massive plans are still in place for the Tiangong space station in China, to expand more of it in the future.

Robotic Hands and their Help in Space

NASA has long used gigantic robotic arms on the International Space Station to help in handling deliveries or work outside the space station, with one iconic feat centering on delivery from 2015. This feat from more than eight years ago saw NASA controlling one arm, and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) controlling the other to install the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System on the outer portion of the Japanese Experiment Module.

There are also several arms present in and on the ISS now, with an iconic one known as the European Robotic Arm which was made available in 2021, with the equipment featuring a pair of extendable arms that could reach 5 meters.

It was often compared to a previous work by North America, with this machine known as the Canadarm2, also featuring a significant help to ISS' residents.

While the ISS will soon bid its farewell when it reaches more than 30 years since it was launched, the Tiangong Space Station from China will remain, and it will continue to feature new technology from China's space program. The new robotic arm is counted as the third in the Tiangong, centering on its Mengitan experiment module to assist its astronauts in their activities and operations in orbit.