NASA's six-legged ATHLETE bot will roam the moon

Mars isn't the only heavenly body that NASA is trying to colonize with robots: the US space agency is currently working on a prototype rover named ATHLETE that may be cruising around the moon within the next decade. Short for All Terrain Hex Limbed Extra Terrestrial Explorer, ATHLETE sports six wheeled "legs" attached to a hexagonal frame loaded with cameras and sensors, allowing an Earth-bound operator to get a 360-degree sense of his or her surroundings. While the current iteration is only half as big as the final version will be, this rover will eventually be able to land and carry up to 20 tons of gear -- but without any sort of onboard defense system, it will probably stand little chance against the first Decepticon attack. Video after the break...

[Via MAKE]

[strider_mt2k @ Nov 7th 2007 9:06AM]

What a cool platform!

Please keep up with developments on this!

[Loban @ Nov 7th 2007 9:51AM]

Wow, that thing is sweet as hell. Everyone must watch the video.

[Brian @ Nov 7th 2007 9:53AM]

Hopefully they can make it go faster. Right now, considering the speed at which the video was sped up, it probably moves so slow that it looks like the arms are hardly moving.

[tealfixie @ Nov 7th 2007 10:02AM]

the wheel motor / tool motor thing is genius.

I can't wait to drive one of these in my hexagonal workstation with 6 cinema displays surrounding me.

Now if we could only mount some lasers on this thing...

[Natedog @ Nov 7th 2007 10:19AM]

Is that 20 tons on Earth or on the moon? There's a big difference, you know...

[Cody @ Nov 7th 2007 11:48AM]

Hah that is a VERY good point Nate!

Cool rover though... couldnt view the vid as the link appears broken but just google it.

[Cody @ Nov 7th 2007 11:51AM]

whoops never mind... looks like im the one thats broken.

[Geir E @ Nov 7th 2007 11:53AM]

20 moon ton would be 121 earth ton. which is.. a bit

[nayajhen @ Nov 8th 2007 5:14PM]

aren't they talking about mass and not weight? Isn't mass independent of gravity?

[Natedog @ Nov 8th 2007 5:56PM]

Mass is independent of gravity, but pounds (and therefore tons) are a measure of weight, which is not independent of gravity.

[Natedog @ Nov 8th 2007 6:03PM]

On second (or thirdish) thought, this does make sense. It can carry 20 tons regardless of the gravity, but can carry more mass on the moon. Oops.

[Phil @ Nov 7th 2007 10:41AM]

All Terrain Hex Limbed Extra Terrestrial Explorer? Terrestrial means having to do with earth. So by rights this thing should never leave the planet. I suppose they could change the name to ATHLELE or ATHLEEE, for Lunar or Extraterrestrial respectively, but I suppose that wouldn't sound as cool.
Another issue I see is the wheel design. Isn't a lot of the lunar surface a fine dust similar to the deserts in the Middle East? Looks to me like this thing with twenty tons even at the lunar equivalent on it would just sink right in.
However this thing is still way cool none-the-less.

[Gaspode @ Nov 7th 2007 11:00AM]

Terrestrial means having to do with earth.
Extra Terrestrial means having to do outside of earth.

Sure they used both parts of a composite word, but thats pretty common in people looking for good souding acronyms.

ATHLELE would mean All Terrain Hex Limbed Extra Lunar Explorer so it would actually mean thta it could operate anywhere but the moon and ATHLEEE would be a double negation meaning that it would only work on the earth.

Bye,
Gaspode

[Phil @ Nov 7th 2007 10:45AM]

Oops, my bad. ATHLETE, duh! I suppose I should read the posts more carefully.

[Matt @ Nov 7th 2007 12:05PM]

I for one welcome our six legged robotic overlords.

[Matt @ Nov 7th 2007 12:43PM]

Ooh, it has tweels.

[Paul Turner @ Nov 7th 2007 1:59PM]

How did Dr. Flox travel back in time to oversee this project... and more importantly why?

[teahan36 @ Nov 7th 2007 2:24PM]

I can't see the YouTube clip but from the screen capture this appears to be the original: http://www.nasa.gov/mp4/185333main_athlete-20070806-480.mp4

[Brian @ Nov 7th 2007 6:32PM]

Increase the speed and put a mecha cockpit on that. /nerd-drool

[MikeG @ Nov 9th 2007 10:39AM]

Wow, you can see the location of where the original moon landings were filmed both in the picture, and in the video.