Battery Technology - May 2021 - 22

Wireless Charging for Lunar
Robots

W

iBotic - a maker of wireless charging and fleet energy
management solutions for aerial, mobile, marine, and
industrial robots - partnered with Astrobotic, Bosch, and the
University of Washington to develop and commercialize wireless charging solutions for robots on the Moon.
WiBotic is developing rapid charging systems and energy
monitoring base stations for lunar robots including the
CubeRover - a shoebox-sized robot designed by Astrobotic -
that will operate autonomously and charge wirelessly on the
Moon. Bosch researchers are contributing software expertise in
wireless connectivity and intelligent AI and the University of
Washington will contribute its Sensor Systems Lab to help support realistic lunar environment testing and validation.
Traditionally, lunar landers - as well as other large space
exploration vehicles - are powered by solar arrays or small
nuclear reactors. Rovers and small robots, however, are not big
enough to carry their own dedicated power supplies and must
be tethered to their larger counterparts via electrical cables.
Tethering severely restricts mobility, and cables are prone to
failure due to lunar dust (regolith) interfering with electrical
contact points. Additionally, as robots become smaller and more
complex, they are fitted with additional sensors that require
more power, further exacerbating the problem. Lastly, solar
arrays are not viable for charging during the lunar night.
WiBotic's rapid proximity charging solution enables smaller
robots to wirelessly charge from lunar landers - equipped with
docking stations or base stations deployed across the lunar surface - without the need for tethering. With WiBotic's technology, self-navigating robots can stay warm and function during the
lunar night. Surviving the lunar night is a significant challenge
and systems that do survive are complex, heavy, and redundant.
NASA's Artemis Program aims to solve this problem by using
innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface
than ever before.
WiBotic's technology - already in use by commercial and military customers - is positioned to address the problem of pro-

The Astrobotic CubeRover in the regolith bin with NASA's Regolith
Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR), a robotic platform designed to dig on the Moon. (Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

22

The Astrobotic CubeRover at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The regolith bin simulates the mechanical properties of the Moon's surface. (Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

WiBotic's standard wireless charging systems include components
needed to autonomously charge a single robot, drone, or other battery-powered device. (Credit: WiBotic)

tection against dust, a particular challenge for robots operating
in harsh environments. Exposed contacts and connectors have
proven unreliable on lunar surfaces where regolith is finer and
more conductive than dust on Earth. With WiBotic's charging
solution, robots can charge without making contact, even if they
do not dock with perfect alignment. The technology also can be
used to charge instruments without connecting cords.
By removing dependency on solar charging, a wide range of
opportunities for smaller and lighter systems becomes available
for missions that were not within reach before, such as survival
of lunar night missions. The wireless technology platform is
scalable and supports a wide range of power needs for new
space electrical systems and infrastructures.
A longer-term goal is to create a lunar wireless power grid to
supply energy for a wide range of both manned and unmanned
vehicles, irrespective of their individual battery types, voltages,
or required power levels. This would be the first step in creating
a common infrastructure of wireless charging stations and energy management software to be deployed across the surface of
the Moon.
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