Astronauts put the robot through its paces onboard Tiangong in a series of simulated pipework. “During the test, the robot smoothly and reliably passed through straight pipes, curved pipes, and tapered pipes of various diameters,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) is reported as saying.
Given the complex nature of the space station, installed pipework comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Specifically, pipework ranges widely in diameter, with sudden changes in pipework bore being the norm.
Adaptable and autonomous
For this reason, designing a robot that can adapt has proven difficult until now, and there is a high chance of it getting stuck. To this end, the robot’s developers turned to hydraulic tube feet that marine animals such as starfish use to move.