Japan's robotics program has been a successful run. For a small country that relies on high technological development, doing minuscule to gigantic bots is never easy, but they are all worth it in the end.
For example, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) which is its leading space agency has recently collaborated with Doshisha University, Sony, and the popular Japanese toy manufacturer, Tomy for the rover project. The transforming baseball-size robot will be delivered to the moon in 2029.
JAXA Will Send the Lunar Rover to Study the Moon's Surface
Japan is now preparing for the set launch of its crewed rover in 2029. The space agency wants the small robot to conduct data gathering on the moon's surface.
During the journey, the cruising technology and the improved autonomous driving will usher the transforming rover on its lunar trip. JAXA will explore to further investigate the effect of gravity on the moon.
In the official announcement of JAXA on Thursday, May 27, the study will also include the regolith as a subject, which is also known as the Moon dirt. This blanket of dust and rocks serves as the moon's cover on its surface.
Moreover, the robot is said to be "ultra light-weight" and "ultra-compact" type which only weighs nearly half 250 grams. For its measure, its diameter is about 3.1 inches or 80 millimeters.
Upon the arrival to the craggy exterior of the moon, the lunar lander will usher it on its voyage. It will appear first as a "compact" ball then transforms into its "running form" as it lands on the lunar surface.
"While the robot travels on the lunar surface, images on the behavior of the regolith, and images of the lunar surface taken by the robot and the camera on the lunar lander will be sent to the mission control center via the lunar lander," JAXA said.
JAXA Made This Possible With 'Beyblades' Maker
According to Gizmodo's report on Monday, May 31, JAXA has been pushing its limits to craft a sturdy robot thanks to the participation of toymaker, Tomy, which has also created "Beyblades" and "Transformers."
In 2019, Sony has completed the project signing of the rolling robots. The video game publisher has spearheaded the building of the robot's control system. Meanwhile, Doshisha University came this year for the extension. The school helped Tomy to model the miniature size of the rover.
In a press release led by JAXA, Kantaro Tomiyama, the CEO of Tomy, said that they have been making high-quality and safe toys since they started. Furthermore, the chairman continued that they treasure a sense of craftsmanship in every toy that they produce by giving more emphasis to the details for the happiness of the children.
Tomiyama added that the company is hopeful that their participation could contribute a lot to space exploration which could attract the younger audiences to be "more interested" in the study of natural science, specifically space.
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Written by Joseph Henry
