China designs dexterous wheeled robot concept to support lunar station

Chinese engineers from the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering have developed a concept for a dexterous wheeled robot designed to support lunar operations. This robot combines wheeled mobility with humanlike dexterity, featuring a waist capable of rotating 180 degrees and bending forward 90 degrees, along with an articulated hand offering four degrees of freedom. These design elements enable the robot to perform diverse tasks on the Moon, such as construction, equipment maintenance, scientific experiments, and sample collection and analysis. The wheeled locomotion system, enhanced by an active suspension and lightweight metal mesh wheels reinforced with steel-wire treads, provides greater speed, stability, and durability on the Moon’s rugged and cold terrain compared to traditional bipedal robots. This robotic concept aligns with China’s broader lunar ambitions, including the proposed International Lunar Research Station near the Moon’s south pole, envisioned as a multinational scientific base operating largely autonomously with robotic systems handling routine work. The upcoming Chang’e-7 mission will investigate water ice deposits