Neo Auto 開始組裝行星探測車傳動部件

Applications of Neo Auto components in a space exploration rover. (Photo: Neo Auto)

Mobility parts manufacturer Neo Auto said Oct. 28 that it has begun assembling drive components for planetary exploration rovers.

Planetary exploration rovers are mobile robots that travel across the surfaces of celestial bodies beyond Earth to investigate their geology, resources and environments.

The assembly work is part of a planetary exploration rover drive component development project led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT). A consortium centered on Hyundai Motor Group is working to localize drive components and reduction gears capable of operating in space environments. The first phase of research is scheduled for completion this year.

Neo Auto is responsible for designing and developing precision components used in the motors, drivers and reduction gears of rover actuators. Actuators convert energy, including electricity, hydraulic pressure and compressed air, into physical motion.

Neo Auto plans to apply its experience in mass-producing conventional internal combustion engine transmissions and electric vehicle reduction gears to robotics. The company aims to ensure component reliability under extreme vibration and temperature fluctuations.