Engineering Services Inc. (ESI) announced today that it has signed a contract with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) worth $3 million (CAD) to develop robotic arm technologies for lunar missions, with an option for a second arm worth $500 thousand (CAD). Along with a micro-rover and a smaller robotic arm, this is the third robot that ESI is developing for the CSA and establishes ESI as a major player in Canada’s space industry.
As prime contractor, ESI will lead a team of experts from industry and academia in the design, building and testing of the Planetary Medium Manipulator (PMM) prototype. A leading feature of the PMM is its versatility, allowing tasks as varied as scientific investigations, construction of a simulated lunar base and maintenance of other robots to be performed autonomously. The key technologies developed in this project will also impact Earth-based robotics: enabling more complex tasks to be completed autonomously and allowing robots to safely work alongside humans.
According to ESI’s founder and president, Dr. Andrew Goldenberg, this robotic arm “expands the scope of what is possible with robots in space and on the Earth.” Designing space robots marks a return for Dr. Goldenberg, a designer of the original Canadarm before becoming a professor at the University of Toronto and founding ESI.
About ESI
ESI is a leading robotics and automation technology company, specializing in the development, design and manufacture of advanced robotics and automation prototypes and products and custom robotics systems. Current applications include robots in nuclear, medical, industrial and security and defence industries.
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For more information or to schedule an interview with Dr. Goldenberg, please contact Elizabeth Catalano at 416-595-5519 x221 or catalano@esit.com.
