Automaton

Automaton contains 3 primary features: the regolith digger, transportation, and dust prevention. The regolith digging system consists of a soil tester, a drill selector, and an arm. The soil tester will select one of the 3 blades to break apart the regolith. The 3-axis carrier arm then retrieves and dumps the regolith into a frontal vent. The primary mode of transportation is made with coiled springs and an enveloping wire mesh belt to maneuver around on uneven and tough surfaces without tire bursts. The structure will be very short, wide, cylindrical, and made of steel. It will make fewer trips to the base while carrying more regolith. The dust prevention system has a frontal umbrella-shaped plastic protector and an arm. The protector acts as a shield against the dust. An arm with thin plastic coverings can shake off into a surface rover compartment when it has a dust coating.