A presentation from a Toyota executive seems to point to the company’s desire to send robots to our celestial neighbor in the near future. A presentation entitled “Realization of Moon Exploration Using Advanced Robots by 2020” seems to show the automaker’s interest in robots that will create rock gardens on the moon and indulge in calligraphy. Which is definitely overkill, or maybe just a rendered slide for the presentation, and does not have much to do with the actual idea.
The robots are supposed to have a small solar battery on-board, joints protected from regolith, exchangeable arms to allow for multiple tasks, springs in legs to allow jumps, and a metal cloak to keep them warm during the lunar night. There aren’t much of details on the project, so there’s no definite word on Toyota really sending humanoid robots for a lunar trip.
