Japan eyes construction in space
Humans are one step closer to realising their dreams of living in outer space, if the Japanese get their way…Japanese construction company Kajima is teaming up with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to build the driverless bulldozers that will pave the way for humans living on the moon and on Mars.
According to a report by the Nikkei Asian Review, Kajima will deploy its tried and tested auto construction system called AC4SEL (Automated Advanced Accelerated Construction System for Safety, Efficiency and Liability) for the mission.
The system allows human operators to control machinery equipped with GPS and accelerometers using tablet computers.
Previously, Kajima has used the autonomous system with a fleet of Komatsu bulldozers to build dams in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures in southern Japan. According to Kajima, the system – which is based on data derived from experienced machine operators – is capable of carrying out work with high precision.
However, for the outer space mission Kajima plans to develop machines that are pre-programmed and will be fully capable of working by themselves once they arrive on the moon or Mars. The company ruled out sending radio signals from Earth, as the transmission time is too long.
The plan is then to build a communication system between the bulldozers so they are able to communicate with each other to avoid collisions and carry out their work more efficiently.
"If we succeed in building automated machinery, we can transfer the technology to engineering works on the ground," says Kajima Technical Research Institute principal researcher, Satoru Miura.
If all goes to plan, Kajima hopes to have the first machines working on the moon by 2030, building a facility to accommodate four to six people, and on Mars by 2040.
To make this a mission possible, JAXA has enlisted the help of experts from different companies including Sony, Taguchi Industrial, Sentencia, Hitachi Zosen, Koden Electronics and Tokyu Construction Co to investigate and develop viable solutions for the project, spanning all aspects including communications, electronics, power requirements and construction material.
An indoor experiment will be held sometime after April next year at JAXA's Sagamihara Campus in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.
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