Beagle 2's robotic arm was originally devised as a means to remove specific scientific instruments and tools from the lander and deploy them in positions where they can study or obtain samples of the rocks and soil. The arm supports the panoramic cameras and deploys the crawling mole to gather subsurface soil samples, returning these to the on-board analytical laboratory.
At first we thought the arm would not be strong enough to support all the instruments at once but during the detailed design phase it was realised that having the instruments integral with the end of the arm avoids the need to make a connection each time an instrument was picked up or put back down on the deck of the lander. A little bit of strengthening greatly reduced the risk of failure.
Shaun Whitehead of Leicester with a development model of the PAW
In keeping with the name of the lander, the concentration of
instruments at the end of the robotic arm is now referred to
as Beagle 2's PAW (Position Adjustable Workbench).
