China to send flying robots to Antarctica

Robots that can move on ice and snow will be deployed by China for the first time in an Antarctic expedition. The use of robots is expected to reduce the risks and costs in scientific research as they can work normally no matter how bad the weather is.

The expedition that will begin in October 2007, will also use a robot capable of low-altitude flying like a mini-helicopter, said a report. The tank-like robot, which can move on ice, weighs 200 kg and can carry 40 kg of weight and pull 100 kg of objects with a maximum working radius of 25 km.

Equipped with a differential global positioning system (DGPS) and a meteorological observation device, the new robots will have the capability to automatically stride across ice crevices and snowy slopes. The report added that another robot that will be deployed weighs 20 kg and can carry five kg of weight and fly at a speed of 50 to 100 km per hour. It can continually fly for one hour. This device will come equipped with an infra-red radiometer for observing ice on the sea and an aerial camera.

The Chinese expedition team, consisting 219 explorers, will start their journey to the Antarctic in October 2007 from Shanghai. They will set up two seismic stations in Antarctica to measure tremors and tectonic movements on the continent. They will also try to find whether there is ice as old as 1.5 million years on the continent during the expedition. This will be the 24th expedition for Chinese scientists to Antarctica.