Chinese scientists suggest using robot dogs to assist astronauts

Segundo a newspaper South China Morning Post, scientists of the Chinese Academy of Space Technology suggest in a study that three astronauts could work closely with intelligent technology, with an astronaut directing two robotic dogs during lunar surface exploration, while another would collect rock samples and perform scientific work.

A third element would remain inside a pressurized vehicle the size of a van, coordinating the mission and controlling other robots as needed.

“China is extending the boundary of human space flights from Earth’s orbit to the Moon,” the authors wrote in Chinese Space Science and Technology, stressing that future lunar exploration will depend on “decision making led by astronauts and the execution of work by autonomous robots.”.

In particular, robots may play a central role in the extraction of lunar resources and in the preparation of the natural satellite for long-term human fixation, from the collection of ice and mineral mining, to the conversion of lava tubes into habitats and construction with local materials.

They would also take on routine tasks, such as patrols and daily inspections, regulation of air and temperature, cleaning of housing spaces, maintenance of plants and preparation of meals, and could even talk to the astronauts, keeping them company and helping alleviate the psychological weariness of living in an isolated environment.

However, researchers recognize that great challenges persist before humans and robots can work side by side on the Moon, because unlike planet Earth, where artificial intelligence can be trained with large volumes of real data, lunar robots will have to learn in an environment with few practical examples and no margin for error.

At the same time, the Moon lacks the existing digital infrastructure on Earth, which means that future explorers would have to build new root communication and navigation systems before humans and robots can operate together over long distances.

The plan comes at a time when China advances with the project of the International Lunar Research Station, a long-term outpost near the South Pole of the Moon, developed in partnership with Russia and other international partners. The country aims to place astronauts on the moon before 2030.

A basic version of the research station should be completed by 2035, allowing regular experiments and the initial use of resources, providing its expansion to a larger complex, with a station in the lunar orbit, by 2045.

China is also preparing to launch the unmanned Chang’e-7 mission to seek water ice at the southern lunar pole, an essential resource to sustain the future human presence at the base.