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China’s snake-like robot designed to move or manipulate a large object in space, according to paper

  • Researchers say their serpentine attachment – with each segment an independent robot – can get into tight corners for in-orbit repairs
  • The robotic tentacle could crush a small satellite like ‘a python strangles its prey’ but that China does not plan to use it as a weapon, says observer

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An artist’s impression of the robotic snake, designed to work in orbit for a wide range of tasks such as cargo transport, assembly, repairs and inspection. Photo: Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
A large robotic snake of unprecedented strength, flexibility and lifespan has been built to explore space, the Chinese research team behind the project said amid long-running concerns about China’s potential to damage other nations’ satellites.

The 1.5-metre (5-foot) long robot, which attaches to a spacecraft, consists of nine segments, each capable of generating a torque of 190 Newton-metres – nearly double that produced by a 1,200cc Harley-Davidson Iron motorcycle.

The joints between segments can twist and rotate extensively, allowing the robot to snake through a complex environment to reach a narrow corner of a space station or satellite that is inaccessible to astronauts or robotic arms at present, according to the researchers.

An artist’s impression shows how the robotic arm might work. Its developers say the technology will save China’s space programme money and increase access to tight spots on a space station or satellite. Photo: Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
An artist’s impression shows how the robotic arm might work. Its developers say the technology will save China’s space programme money and increase access to tight spots on a space station or satellite. Photo: Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

A damaged or malfunctioning segment of the robot can be removed or replaced with a new one, allowing it to be in service for an unlimited time, in theory.

“Making repairs in a complex space environment costs a great deal of human and material resources. The modular hyper-redundant manipulator is an effective solution to this problem,” said the team led by Professor Xu Zhenbang, of the key laboratory for on-orbit manufacturing and integration for space optics system at Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics in a paper published in the domestic peer-reviewed journal Robot last month.

The robots could also work together as tentacles to move or manipulate a large object, Xu and his colleagues said.

Last month, China’s Shijian 21 satellite pulled a dead BeiDou navigation satellite into a graveyard orbit, according to commercial space monitoring company ExoAnalytic Solutions.
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