1959 – Lunar Robot Mobot (Concept) – Hughes Aircraft (American)

MACHINE TO EXPLORE MOON

FIRST EXPLORER of the moon may be a machine. Roaming the crust, it would collect samples of rocks and dust with mechanical fingers, under remote control of spacemen remaining safely within a landed rocket ship. Hughes Aircraft company designers say it could be patterned closely after their Mobot, a mobile mechanical manipulator whose dexterity inspired the idea.

Source: Popular Science July, 1959.


Another Hughes Mobot concept showing similar arm configuration.


See other early Teleoperators here.

See other early Lunar Robots here.