Winners of the 11th Robot Awards were announced on September 11, 2024. An award from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT Minister) was received for achievements including the LEV-1 lunar exploration rover, a forerunner project in which multiple members of the current project took part.
11th Robot Awards: List of Winners
https://www.robotaward.jp/winning/
MEXT Minister’s Award
Ultra-compact Lunar Exploration Rovers LEV-1 & LEV-2
[Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency / Chuo University / Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology / Doshisha University / TOMY Company, Ltd. / Sony Group Corporation]
Our project manager Professor Kunii and his colleagues at Chuo University, PI Yoshimitsu and SPI Otsuki from the JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science and their colleagues, as well as PI Maeda and colleagues from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, all took part in the research, development and operation of LEV-1.
The award is aimed at recognizing robot and robot-related businesses, social implementations, applied robotic systems, elemental technologies, advanced ICT infrastructure technologies, R&D and human resource development efforts that are believed to demonstrate high-level contributions or potential for future market creation, thereby promoting the development and commercialization of robot technologies, accelerating technical innovation and expanded applications, raising the public’s awareness of how robots benefit society and stimulating demand for robots. The award is also designed to gain a better understanding of trends in robotic technologies in Japan by welcoming entries from across the country.