China’s Antarctic mission gets helping paw from robot dog
Six-legged robot tested on carrying heavy loads in extreme cold will be upgraded to help researchers carry out tasks like safety checks
Video footage broadcast on Saturday showed the six-legged dog carrying a box on its back at the Zhongshan polar research station.
The report said the robot has specially designed shoes, made from a material that can withstand temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit).
“Moreover, the shoes minimise pressure when in contact with the ice, providing excellent anti-slip performance while reducing damage to the ice surface,” Mao Shijie, head of the Antarctic research missions’s robot team, told CCTV.
It also has a specially insulated battery allowing it to function for two hours in temperatures of minus 40 and extra batteries can be attached if it needs to perform longer tasks, for example exploring the polar ice.
The robotic dog has successfully completed tests designed to check its ability to cross icy surfaces and carry loads weighing up to 100kg (220lb) in extreme conditions.
