Astrobotic Partners with Bosch & Wibotic for Wireless Charging Moon Rovers

Astrobotic, a company specializing in lunar exploration, is creating a highly efficient wireless charging system for its small, CubeRover lunar robots. This initiative is supported by NASA’s Tipping Point program, which has provided a $5.8 million grant. The project will utilize the expertise of WiBotic, a wireless charging company located in Seattle, focusing on rapid, short-distance wireless power transfer. Additionally, Bosch will contribute to the development of AI-driven data analysis, enabling the robots to autonomously locate docking stations for wireless recharging.

Current lunar rovers generally depend on solar energy, but these vehicles are considerably large – often comparable in size to automobiles or larger – and possess extensive surface areas for solar panel deployment. Astrobotic’s rovers, initially designed to weigh under five pounds, will have limited surface area for solar energy collection. Consequently, they will require alternative power solutions to sustain their scientific investigations.

WiBotic is addressing this need by collaborating with the University of Washington to create a “lightweight, ultra-fast proximity charging system, consisting of a base station and a power receiver” tailored for use in space. However, locating these charging stations presents a unique difficulty, especially on the Moon where systems like GPS are unavailable. To overcome this, Bosch will employ data from the robot’s onboard sensors to create a comprehensive sensor-fusion output, granting the robot independent navigation abilities. This technology could prove vital not only for guiding rovers to power stations but also for navigating to diverse locations on the lunar surface as robotic scientific and exploratory endeavors expand.

The project aims to have a functional rover-charging demonstration system available in 2023. The collaborative team will work alongside NASA’s Glenn Research Center to evaluate the technology within the center’s thermal vacuum chamber testing environment.