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Seattle-based WiBotic says it is working on a wireless charging system and energy management software for lunar rovers, in collaboration with Astrobotic, Bosch and the University of Washington.
The hardware and software for the robotic lunar missions will build on the work the UW spin-out has done on similar systems for applications here on Earth.
“We have conquered marine robotic systems, mobile land robots, aerial drones and now space as well,” Ben Waters, CEO and co-founder of WiBotic, told GeekWire.
The team-up is supported by a $ 5.8 million NASA “Tipping Point” contract to overcome the energy challenges facing robots on the lunar surface. One of the biggest challenges will be providing electric rovers with enough power to keep them running during the cold lunar night, which lasts two weeks.
Astrobotic, based in Pittsburgh, is the primary contractor. It aims to use WiBotic’s charging system on lunar rovers which will include its own CubeRover, a four-wheeled, shoebox-sized robot that would venture out of a base station to tackle exploration tasks.
“Bringing wireless power technology to the surface of the moon and beyond is a game changer in how robotic space systems have traditionally interacted,” Cedric Corpa de la Fuente, electrical engineer for planetary mobility, said today in a news release. at Astrobotic.
“For example, by removing dependencies on solar charging, a whole new range of opportunities becomes available for smaller, lighter systems for missions that were previously not within reach – such as the survival of lunar night missions,” he said.
WiBotic’s fast charging system uses paired antennas and receivers to transfer electricity wirelessly and securely, for underwater drones and robots, as well as autonomous robots on industrial sites. For robotic missions to the moon, Waters said, “the goal would be to have at least some energy for the robot to go on maybe an hour-long mission during the lunar night.”
Waters said WiBotic’s energy management software is designed to work hand-in-hand with hardware, on Earth and the Moon.
“Energy monitoring is of paramount importance,” he explained. “We certainly don’t want the solar panels on the lander to be compromised and drain the batteries because we were trying to charge the robot.”
This becomes even more important once a network of multiple robots and charging stations has been created on the moon. Waters said WiBotic is aiming for its system to transfer a maximum of 100 watts of power from solar charging stations.
Operations on the moon can easily move the lunar soil, or regolith, which has a low level of electrical conductivity. For this reason, it may make more sense to charge the rover from above, rather than putting a charging pad on the surface.
“The robot will be able to get close, but it doesn’t have to be perfectly aligned with, the charging pad,” he said. “Chances are it won’t dock with maximum precision every time. So that greater flexibility, the tens of centimeters that we can allow, is very important. “
Bosch, an international industrial technology company based in the United States in Michigan, will contribute its expertise in the field of wireless connectivity and artificial intelligence. The University of Washington Sensor Systems Laboratory will provide support for testing and validation under simulated lunar conditions.
Waters said WiBotic will be working on the Tipping Point development project over the next 24-30 months. “As a result of this work, we hope to have a ready-to-use and space-qualified system,” he said. “And as for the deployment, that would be on a later mission. It’s not entirely clear when this will happen, but it would most likely be 2023 at the earliest. “
Astrobotic will send NASA’s VIPER rover to the moon in late 2023 to study water ice in the permanently shaded regions of the South Pole region, a mission that could likely use a charging system like Wibotic’s.
In an email, Waters told GeekWire that the Tipping Point project was centered around the much smaller CubeRover concept rather than the VIPER. “But for your point, the WiBotic system is meant to be interoperable with other devices / robots,” he said. “So, in theory, it could be applied to other robots in the future, and that’s our hope.”
Waters said WiBotic’s land-based products are likely to benefit from some of the innovations that emerged from the project, such as the development of a passive cooling system rather than a fan-cooled system for battery charging hardware. But it also has its sights set on more distant space applications.
“As you probably know, for some of the robots that were previously deployed to Mars, power was their end,” he said, referring to nearly all of the solar-powered robots that have been sent to the Red Planet. “Solar panels become covered in dust, never get enough light to recharge, and so the battery runs out. And that’s all. “
Waters noted that the NASA mission currently headed to Mars will conduct the first-ever test of a battery-powered helicopter on another planet. “Hopefully there will be many more types of robots and drones deployed in space, be it the moon or Mars,” he said. “I think this will be a great first dip in the development of these space-qualified systems, but certainly along the way, hopefully there are opportunities to deploy to other planets with other robots as well.”
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