Mars drone developed by Chinese scientists

Chinese scientists developing aerial/terrestrial robot prototype for Mars exploration

A Chinese research team is developing a lightweight robotic drone with a targeted special mission scenario of Mars exploration. A prototype for a new class of aerial/terrestrial cross-domain robot developed by a research team at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The air-ground dual-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weighs only 10.6 ounces (300 grams), equivalent to the weight of an apple. On the ground, it mainly rolls by shifting its centre of gravity. Seen as showing promising potential in future Mars science work, the UAV can take off at any time, traverse obstacles, and boasts superb endurance, reports state-owned China Central Television (CCTV). After accident on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter could live on as a weather station for 20 years.

Chinese researchers drone which could explore Mars by air or on the ground. "On the ground, it mainly rolls by shifting its centre of gravity," said Zhu Yimin, a Ph.D candidate at SoA.  "In the air, it relies on a pair of contra-rotating coaxial rotors, controlled by a steering engine to adjust the forward direction, to control torque and force, ultimately achieving stable flight," Zhu said. Weighing just around 300 grams,  the robot can roll on the ground and take flight to pass over obstacles. The UAV work entails multiple models of air-ground dual-mode robots with different configurations. These robots move by rolling close to the ground, which reduces energy consumption, and can achieve a flight endurance time of more than six times that of traditional drones of the same size. According to Zhang Lixian, a professor within the SoA, the hope is that the aerial vehicle can show off its long endurance and observational abilities on Mars. "Our second goal is for such machines to be suitable for construction in many underground spaces and for exploring unknown underground spaces. We also need robotic means for inspection and environmental detection. We have now materialized all these functions," said Zhang.

The team has developed multiple versions of the aerial/terrestrial robot, achieving an endurance time six times longer than similar-sized unmanned aerial vehicles. These robots can be used to perform tasks such as monitoring, probing and maintenance. They come in various forms, such as two-wheeled or spherical designs. They can be adapted to different terrains, and they can also be equipped with manipulators to perform screwing or pressing actions. The Chinese aerial drone work is taking a different approach than NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter. That history-making autonomous aircraft operated for nearly three years of flight on Mars, making 72 flights within Jezero Crater. It is hoped that the robot could also be applied into exploration tasks in underground environments such as coal mines, pipeline corridors and subways, Zhang added. "The prototype design is now completed. Compared with existing Mars flight vehicles, the robot of aerial/terrestrial cross-domain capability will achieve better performance in terms of functionality and endurance." Zhang said.

Dispatched by NASA’s Perseverance rover, Ingenuity weighed 4 pounds on Earth (1.81 kilograms), which is equivalent to 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) on Mars. Ingenuity first lifted off the Martian surface on 19 April, 2021 and made its last flight on 18 Jan, 2024. On Flight 72, rotor blades on the craft were damaged during landing, permanently grounding the vehicle. As the first aircraft on another world, Ingenuity flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time.