China’s Moon Landing and Rover Tip of Iceberg

by Frank Tobe

19 December 2013

share this:

Yutu (“Jade Rabbit”), China's rover-like robot was soft-landed on the moon earlier this month. China's plans to become a global leader in robotics and space exploration are just beginning to be seen. Yutu is a 6-wheeled rover. It has 4 cameras and 2 digging arms for sampling of lunar soil and dust, and can travel at 1/8 of a mile per hour. During it’s 3-month exploration, it will search for natural resources…

Frank Tobe is the owner and publisher of The Robot Report, and is also a panel member for Robohub's Robotics by Invitation series.

AUAI is supported by:

Undergrads’ weed-killing robot wins top prize

Cornell University 17 Jul 2026

Their robot can travel through a vineyard or orchard without a human operator, zapping weeds with a small amount of electricity.

A flapping robot swims and flies like a diving bird

EPFL 15 Jul 2026

An aerial-aquatic vehicle developed at EPFL and MIT could lead to a new class of devices for ocean exploration.

Wristband enables wearers to control a robotic hand with their own movements

MIT News 13 Jul 2026

By moving their hands and fingers, users can direct a robot to play the piano, shoot a basketball, or manipulate objects in a virtual environment.

#RoboCup2026 social media round-up

Lucy Smith 08 Jul 2026

Find out what the teams got up to at this year's RoboCup extravaganza in Incheon.

#RoboCup2026 – humanoid league knockout stages

Lucy Smith 06 Jul 2026

Find out who won the small, middle and large divisions in Incheon.

#RoboCup2026 – humanoid league day 2

Lucy Smith 03 Jul 2026

Find out the latest from day two of the competition.

Reflections from ICRA 2026

Ella Scallan 02 Jul 2026

From dancing robots to moral machines: our Assistant Editor reflects on ICRA 2026.

#RoboCup2026 – humanoid league day 1

Lucy Smith 02 Jul 2026

In the first of our round-ups from the humanoid league we introduce the competition, and report some preliminary results.