The Arachnid

The Arachnid is a robot designed for specialized movement and function. A hinge in the middle allows the Arachnid to pivot in half at about a 45 degree angle. One of the major issues with lunar dust is it sticking to the mechanisms and jamming them. The hope with the Arachnid design is that the robot will be able to flip upside down and continue moving until it can reach a facility where it can be cleaned. The center drum is fitted with scoops that can pick up samples as it rotates. These pictures show a completed Arachnid, an Arachnid using the hinge to raise itself slightly, and the Arachnid without the center collection drum. I thought it looked a little bit like a spider so I named it the Arachnid :).