Chinese robotic dogs trained for future lunar cave exploration

Chinese scientists are training robotic dogs for future exploration of the Moon's underground lava tubes, as prime candidates for human lunar bases due to their stable conditions and natural protection.

According to a September 28 post by Peking University, researchers from its School of Computer Science developed and tested two specialised robotic dogs in a volcanic cave near Jingbo Lake in Heilongjiang province. Formed by lava flows, the cave's structure is “strikingly similar” to the Moon’s subterranean terrain, Caliber.Az reports per South China Morning Post.

Some parts of the cave are too narrow for human access, prompting the deployment of these robot “scouts” to carry out detailed surveying.

The tests advanced “embodied intelligence technologies used in deep-space exploration,” said Zhang Shanghang, a lead researcher from Peking University and the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence.

Zhang noted that the robots can “navigate autonomously, avoid obstacles, create maps and record high-precision 3D structures within caves,” thanks to onboard lidar sensing technology that collects reliable spatial data.

One robot, inspired by anteaters, features strong forearms and a flexible robotic arm mounted on a rigid platform, designed for complex exploration and multifunctional tasks. The other, named after a salamander, is a deformable, soft-wheeled robot adept at environmental reconnaissance in rough terrain.

Peking University aims to develop fully autonomous robots for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Exploring lunar lava tubes is crucial due to extreme surface temperature swings of over 300°C, from highs to lows of minus 183°C.

“Lunar caves, where temperatures stayed relatively stable, would provide crucial support for the future deployment of exploration vehicles and even the building of crewed bases,” said Li Jiaqi from Peking University’s School of Earth and Space Sciences.

The Jingbo Lake lava tubes have been designated as China’s first teaching and practice site for a simulated lunar underground space program.

China isn’t alone in this pursuit. Teams from the U.S. and Spain are also developing robotic dogs for lunar cave exploration in similar Earth-based environments.

China's upcoming Chang’e 7 mission, set for around 2026, will study moonquakes and probe the lunar interior. China and Russia also plan to co-develop an International Lunar Research Station in the 2030s.

By Sabina Mammadli