This month there will be an experiment with a robot that works using solar energy
Warren Leary New York Times
In the North Pole, every living thing longs for the touch of the sun's stealthy rays during the short summer period. This month, a robot powered by its own determination to bask in the sunlight will traverse a barren, cold, rocky land in the far north. The experimental robot, known as "Hyperion", is a prototype of a possible series of robot-explorers that could operate almost non-stop for months, and even years, and explore the surface of the moon or distant planets.
Engineers and scientists at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, built the Hyperion to test the feasibility of the concept of a solar-powered robot that could follow sunlight in order to continue operating for long periods.
The name of the robot is taken from Greek mythology. Hyperion was one of the Titans (pre-gods), who according to mythology was the father of the Sun, Moon and Dawn. the word
"Hyperion" means "the one who follows the sun".
The American Space Agency (NASA) finances most of the Hyperion project, whose cost is estimated at about one million dollars. The robot is built from an aluminum tube frame on which devices, computers, batteries and the large solar panels are installed, which allow it to generate electricity. The robot moves on 4 wheels, each of which is driven by an electric motor.
The Hyperion weighs together with its total equipment about 150 kilograms, is about two meters long and wide, and stands about three meters high. The solar panels, covered with silicon cells, convert the sunlight into about 300 watts of electricity per day, which is the average daily consumption. Excess electricity is fed into batteries, which provide additional power required for climbing hills or driving the vehicle in shaded sections. The robot is supposed to travel up to 24 kilometers a day, at a top speed of about XNUMX km/h.
The Hyperion is designed to operate independently, calculating its route and bypassing obstacles using information it produces from cameras in its front part. At the same time, it can also be controlled remotely and for this purpose, a higher panoramic camera is installed in it, which allows its operators to see its complete surroundings. The robot is also equipped with a laser range scanner that acts as a "virtual" bumper and maps of the area are stored in its computers. He carries with him a pair of GPS receivers (global satellite navigation system) to calculate his exact position, and each wheel is connected to a tachometer that allows him to calculate his new position compared to the previous one.
Using this information, the Hyperion can calculate where the sun is and constantly point the solar panels in the correct direction and angle. By comparing his position to the position of the sun, he can calculate where the shadows of the hills and mountains should fall. Using this information, Hyperion builds an optimal path to avoid obstacles
and shadows.
The Hyperion moves using a method known as "sun-synchronized navigation", its goal is to keep moving to stay in the sunlight. According to the researchers, robots operating at a suitable latitude and speed on the surface of a planet will be able to follow the sun so that it never sinks below the horizon and will continue to provide them with constant energy. According to the researchers, in some of the missions, on planets characterized by hot days and freezing nights, robot explorers will be able to follow the sunrise and stay in the milder zone between extreme temperatures.
Dr. David Wettergreen, a robotics researcher at Carnegie Mellon and one of the project managers, will lead a team of seven experts from Carnegie Mellon. On July 10, the researchers will begin an experiment that will last about two weeks on Devon Island - an uninhabited area above the Arctic Circle, located in Canadian territory. On the island is the Houghton Crater - a depression that is about 20 kilometers wide and was created about 23 million years ago by a meteorite collision. The flat and rocky area near the crater, characterized by cold and dry conditions, is the closest thing on Earth to the conditions on Mars. In July, the crater area is ideal for the Hyperion experiment - when the sun circled above the horizon for 24 hours
in a day
According to Melvin Montemarlo, director of the robotics program in the US Aeronautics and Space Administration's Office of Space Science, "There is a twofold reason for the development of research robots. Since they are always in the sun, they never need to go into 'sleep' mode, so the scientific return per dollar is greater. Second, since you don't have to reduce the amount of energy the robot uses at night, you don't have to worry about how it will get through the cold night or how it will start working again when the sun comes up."
