Thanga Discusses 'Space Robots' in AZPM Feature

His whole life, AME associate professor Jekan Thanga has been set on working in the field of space exploration. He currently leads the Space and Terrestrial Robotic Exploration (SpaceTREx) Laboratory, which combines space exploration principles with challenges on Earth. In a new video feature produced by AZPM, Thanga discusses several of his projects, including autonomous robots, lunar mining, and new ways of exploring. 

"Autonomous robotics has been a key theme in developing robotic systems for space," Thanga said. "These systems can communicate with each other, they can network, they can reorganize in ways that we can't quite even imagine right now." 

Within the next 50 years, Thanga envisions multiple phases of lunar development, from semi-permanent structures to exploring beneath the moon's surface. 

"By being able to build these bases off-world, we can utilize resources after. These resources can then be utilized in fact to enable and advance the next wave of space exploration," Thanga said. "And that's what's really exciting about working at SpaceTREx."