Ingrid Fadelli -- Phys.org
June 9, 2024
While roboticists have developed increasingly sophisticated systems over the past decades, ensuring that these systems can autonomously operate in real-world settings without mishaps often proves challenging. This is particularly difficult when these robots are designed to be deployed in complex environments, including space and other planets.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow recently developed a new methodology that could allow teams of multiple rovers to autonomously and reliably explore other planets. This method, introduced in a paper pre-published on arXiv, incorporates data derived from various sources, including imaging data, maps and information collected by sensors, to plan efficient routes for different robots in a team.
"Using a team of planetary exploration rovers to explore the Martian surface, rather than a single rover, could greatly extend the scientific capabilities of a mission," Sarah Swinton, first author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. "All planetary exploration rovers must employ some level of autonomy, as the communication latencies between the Earth and Mars make it extremely difficult and time-consuming for humans to carry out drive actions. Employing a team of rovers places a further emphasis on autonomy, as the difficulty of coordinating their behaviors increases for human operators."
The primary goal of the recent study by Swinton and her collaborators was to effectively tackle a long-standing research problem in robotics: Effectively tackling multi-robot autonomous planetary exploration missions. To do this, the team developed a multi-rover mission planner that allows a team of several rovers, small robots designed for space exploration, to autonomously, safely and efficiently explore an area of the Martian surface.
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