JAXA, Japan’s space program, has landed two robots on the surface of an asteroid. The asteroid, Ryugu, is roughly 200 million miles away. The Guardian described the robots as looking like biscuit tins.
For our fellow Americans, we offer this picture of a biscuit tin:
Now that you have a clear mental image, you can be impressed that robots have successfully been landed on a moving asteroid, for the first time. You can also be amazed at the idea that we can now see the robots’ pictures of something 200 million miles away.
The robots can jump nearly 50 feet in the air and stay aloft fort 15 minutes, so they’ll have a good opportunity to get great shots of the asteroid’s surface. They’ll also gather samples. It’s pretty exciting.
This couldn’t happen without servos
Servo motors, with their drives, controls, and power sources, make up the motion control systems that allow machinery to move to a specific location and then stop. A complex system of motion control is required for sophisticated feats if engineering like this, but the concept is based on the same servo motors that control the motions of your industrial robots or printing presses and the like.
We specialize in Rexroth electric motion control. These motion control systems bring the combination of precision and power to the Eiffel Tower, the Panama Canal, the great soccer stadiums of the world, the canals of Venice, and to the NASA space program.
They also make sure beer gets bottled and coffee gets brewed. However big or small the job you use your Rexroth drive and control systems for, we know it’s important to you. Choose us to get your facility up and running fast when you need support.
We offer phone support, field support, factory repair and reman. Call 479-422-0390 for immediate assistance with Rexroth electric servos, drives, controls, and power sources.