Chinese authorities announced recently that a handful of "smart" robots have been inspected and approved for use in the upkeep of China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) — currently the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. The new robots are ready for deployment, the officials said.
The primary role of these robots will be assessing the cables and pulleys that support FAST's feed cabin (the suspended structure that collects radio data collected by the dish); automating the maintenance of laser targets and actuators on the reflector; facilitating the assembly and disassembly of feed receivers; monitoring radio interference; and carrying out all-weather measurements of the 30-ton feed cabin.
