Working closely with experts from the British Antarctic Survey, James Moon has come up with a lightweight, compact eco-friendly vehicle for use in Antarctic.
The “”Ninety Degrees South” vehicle keeps drivers safe, warm and protected from the high levels UV exposure that occur under the Antarctic ozone hole.
Designed to fit into a small Twin Otter aircraft that BAS use for working in remote deep field locations, the two-person vehicle has a combination of tracks and wheels that allows it to operate anywhere on the continent over hard ground, snow or ice surfaces.
It also comes with an unmanned pathfinder which travels on a GPS controlled route ahead of the main unit. The pathfinder is secured by a 30m umbilical cord and uses ground-penetrating radar to assess risk.
The technology could be adapted for automated vehicles designed to explore other planets.
Via The Engineer Online and Press Release. Pictures.