Carnegie Mellon University
November 21, 2014

Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon To Unveil New Lunar Rover, "Andy"

Robot Designed To Explore Lunar Pits and Caves

By Byron Spice / 412-268-9068

Event: Carnegie Mellon University will unveil Andy, a four-wheeled robot designed to scramble up steep slopes and survive the temperature swings and high radiation encountered while exploring the Moon's pits, caves and polar ice.

The robot is Carnegie Mellon's contribution to an effort led by Pittsburgh's Astrobotic Technology to land a robot on the Moon and win the $20 million-plus Google Lunar XPrize. Students performed much of the work over the past nine months to build Andy. The project has involved expertise and resources from across the university, including the School of Computer Science, the College of Engineering, the College of Fine Arts and the Mellon College of Science.

Who: William "Red" Whittaker, director of the Field Robotics Center, will be available, as will numerous students, faculty and staff members who have been involved in the project.

When: 10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 24

Where: Planetary Robotics Laboratory, first floor of the Gates and Hillman Centers, 4902 Forbes Ave. Parking is available in the Gates Center parking garage. To reach the Gates Center garage, take Neville Street south from Fifth Avenue, go under the Forbes Avenue bridge and turn left into the driveway leading to the Collaborative Innovation Center. Keep to the right, go through the building and follow the drive, which will take a sharp left and go underneath a second building. (You're almost there!) The Gates Center will be ahead and to your left.

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