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Victoria Bela

China has carried out its first in-orbit test of an inspection robot on board its Tiangong space station.
The test, designed to check that the robot could be used effectively to maintain pipes and operate safely, was carried out last month, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The Shenzhou-19 crew currently stationed on board the space station put it through its paces in a simulated network of complex piping.
The agency said: “During the test, the robot smoothly and reliably passed through straight pipes, curved pipes and tapered pipes of various diameters.”
Pipelines on the space station come in different shapes and sizes and feature large differences in diameter as well as sudden changes in dimension, making it difficult for a robot to adapt and increasing the risk it will get stuck.
To ensure the device was sufficiently flexible and adaptable, the developers looked to the movements of the hydraulic tube feet that marine animals such as starfish use to move.
The robot is equipped with whole body sensors that help it form a “smart brain” and it also extends autonomously and contracts under force to maintain pressure with the pipe wall, allowing the robot’s legs to adjust as the pipe diameter changes.


“It adjusts the position, speed, and force output of all joints in the whole body to enable the robot to move smoothly in the space station pipeline,” according to the space agency.
The crew also confirmed that a safety feature, designed to ensure the robot can be pulled out of a pipeline in the event of a power failure, worked correctly.
Ground personnel monitored the robot in real time and will analyse the data gathered during this trial to help direct future tests.
Since the three Shenzhou-19 astronauts arrived on the space station on October 30, they have conducted a variety of experiments – including the world’s first in-orbit test of artificial photosynthesis technology to produce oxygen as well as the ingredients to make rocket fuel.


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China

The Shenzhou-19 astronauts carried out safety checks on the device, which is designed to maintain the pipe


The Shenzhou-19 astronauts carried out safety checks on the device, which is designed to maintain the pipe.


China's space programme

Space