Boise State Students Test Lunar Robot Bender 5.0

According to boisestate.edu, eight Boise State students traveled to the University of Central Florida to test their lunar robot, Bender 5.0, in a regolith pit simulating Moon conditions. The team, part of the Bender ARS project led by former NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, conducted excavation and traversal tests to inform next year's design.

The Boise State student team tested its custom-built robot, Bender 5.0, for traversal and excavation in a regolith test pit recreating lunar surface conditions, gathering performance data for next year's design. The work offers a concrete look at what is assessed when designing, building and testing robots for the Moon, and shows how the team is preparing for the 2027 NASA Lunabotics Challenge.