After more than three years of tinkering and testing, the time has come: student team Polar from TU Eindhoven have unveiled their latest showpiece. The GENTOO, a hypermodern robot that makes climate research at the icy South Pole possible.
The GENTOO is the successor to the ‘Ice Cube’ from 2023. While the Ice Cube survived the Swedish snow, the GENTOO is built for really tough work: the extreme conditions in Antarctica, writes Studio 040.
Reinvented
The name GENTOO refers to both the penguin of the same name and to ‘Generation Two’. The robot has been significantly improved for this second version. The students worked for two years on thorough further development so that it can better withstand the rough and cold landscape of Antarctica.
The robot now has larger wheels, an advanced suspension system for rough terrain and a battery that can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius.
Sustainable research
The goal of the Eindhoven students is ambitious. Conducting research in Antarctica is often expensive, polluting and complex. Next year, the GENTOO must prove that things can be done differently by collecting valuable data on climate change completely autonomously – i.e. without a driver.
The driving robot must reach places that scientists can hardly reach at the moment, such as the oldest glaciers in the world. The data collected can help to better understand the causes and consequences of global warming.
Antarctica mission
Although the robot is located in Eindhoven, it has already covered quite a few kilometers in cold conditions. After successful tests in Sweden last December, further expeditions to Svalbard (Norway) are planned. The mission to Antarctica is planned for the end of 2027.
