CMU Moon Robot to Send Virtual Reality Back to Earth

Daniel Shafrir hopes Andy can transform education about space.

By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a robot which they plan to land on the Moon to act as eyes for Earth-bound space enthusiasts.

The scientists from Carnegie Mellon have teamed up with space firm Astrobotic to compete for the Google Lunar XPrize, which requires a team to land a robot on the Moon, move it 500 meters and send back video to Earth.

The robot has already been shown to potential investors, including Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.

It works in tandem with an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

"The vision was simple - let anyone on Earth experience the Moon live through the eyes of a robot," explained team leader Daniel Shafrir.

"We weren't just going to go to the Moon. We are going to bring the Moon back," he added.

The telepresence robot, nicknamed Andy after university founder Andrew Carnegie, can be controlled by an operator's head.

Working with games designer Ben Boesel and Slippery Rock University Planetarium Director Dan Arnett, the team put Andy through his paces in a demo last month.

Slippery Rock University

Slippery Rock University

More - Link >>> http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29704953

Source: British Broadcasting Corporation.

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