Dante I
Also known as Dante
Eight legged tethered walking robot sent into the crater of Mount Erebus in Antarctica, which failed a few metres into its descent.
| Maker | Carnegie Mellon University |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Launched | 1992 |
| Status | Retired |
| Actuation | Eight legs in two frames, moving one frame at a time |
| Power | Supplied through a tether from the crater rim |
| Sensors | Cameras and laser rangefinder |
| Autonomy | Teleoperated under supervisory control |
Dante I was built by the Carnegie Mellon Field Robotics Center to show that a tethered walking machine could enter a volcanic crater too dangerous for people. It moved as a frame walker, sliding one frame of legs past the other, with power and communications carried on a tether from the crater rim. The tether failed shortly after it started down into the crater of Mount Erebus at the end of 1992, ending the descent after only a few metres.
Of note
- First attempt to send a walking robot into an active volcano
- Tether failure ended the Mount Erebus descent
Maker: www.cmu.edu