Europe builds robotic arm that can see, feel and handle samples for Moon missions
SMRTR summary
A robotic arm that can see, feel, and think for itself is taking shape in a factory near Milan.
European Space Agency engineers, working with Italian aerospace firm Leonardo, are assembling the Sample Transfer Arm, a seven-jointed robot that stretches 2.4 meters and moves with the fluidity of a human limb. It has a shoulder, elbow, and wrist, and a gripper precise enough to handle objects down to the millimeter.
Originally built to transfer Martian rock samples collected by NASA's Perseverance rover, the arm's future got complicated as the Mars Sample Return mission hit uncertainty. But ESA isn't shelving the technology. Instead, the agency is now eyeing it for lunar exploration and astronaut support missions.
What makes it remarkable is its sense of touch. Force and torque sensors let it feel how objects push and twist in three dimensions, a capability that could prove invaluable as humans prepare for longer stays on the Moon and, eventually, Mars.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Interesting Engineering.
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