Advanced Robotic Manipulator and Vision Systems business, Reach Robotics Pty Ltd, has been awarded funding from the Australian Government as part of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars program. The funding will support characterisation, testing, and development of Reach Robotics’s manipulator technology to enable technology transfer into the space sector.
The Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants are aimed at enabling companies like Reach Robotics to make their technology more ready for potential inclusion in future exploration missions, including NASA’s Artemis program.
Reach Robotics has several remote operations clients, predominately in the offshore energy sector, who use the company’s robotic manipulator technology to carry out tasks remotely – sometimes over higher-latency, low-bandwidth connections. Due to the nature of the company’s existing client base and value proposition, the manipulator technology is inherently tough, ruggedised, and designed with harsh environments in mind. But operating in space comes with a whole host of unique challenges including ionising radiation, enormous thermal swings, large shock and vibration on launch, and a need for advanced vision and control (due to low-bandwidth communications). This grant award will enable the company to tackle these problems head-on and make the Reach Robotics product portfolio ready for the space environment.
Learn more about the Reach Robotics product portfolio here.
Author: Reach Robotics