JAKARTA - The small ball-shaped robot that has been known through the Mobile Suit Gundam anime will be tested in space. Japanese startup, Space Entry Co., plans to send "Everyone's Haro" to the International Space Station or ISS in the spring of next year.
Reported by Kyodo News, Wednesday, May 6, this project aims to test whether the robot can move freely in microgravity conditions and communicate with astronauts as in its anime series.
The robot design was worked on by Kunio Okawara, a mechanical designer who created the original Haro in the Gundam franchise. Haro is known as a small round robot that can interact with humans.
The 21-centimeter-diameter robot is made of aluminum. The propeller system allows it to move in all directions. The pipy part becomes a propulsion channel, while its sensors are designed to detect obstacles and stop movement when necessary.
Everyone's Haro also has a camera and microphone to help communicate with astronauts. The eyes use LEDs that can give simple signals through blinking.
The robot will be placed in the Japanese Kibo experiment module on the ISS. The data collected will be used for the development of autonomous robots working in outer space environments.
This project has also attracted the attention of the Japanese public. Space Entry opened a fundraising campaign since April 14 to help finance the launch of the robot. The initial target of 3 million yen or about 19,000 US dollars was achieved in just three days with the support of about 200 people.
Supporters of the project can see the robot development process and attend the launch event. There is also the option of receiving exclusive items.
"We hope that this project will be a gateway for more people to participate in space development," President of Space Entry Ryoichi Kumagai said at a press conference on April 7, quoted by Kyodo News.
The Haro robot is scheduled to collect important data on how the robot works independently in the outer space environment.
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