10/28/09

Robot Armada in Space

In the future, the approach of planetary exploration maybe different than traditional methods. An armada of robots instead of one will be sent on exploration, where each autonomous robot will be expendable and low-cost. In addition, they will command themselves or with each other simultaneously. A team at the University of Arizona are developing autonomous software and have built a robotic test bed that can mimic a field geologist or astronaut, capable of working independently and as part of a large team.

An example mission scenario will be using an orbiter to circle Titan with a global view of the moon while communicating to the air balloons to fly to unknown areas or areas of interest. The aerial balloon commanding multiple rovers on surface exploration. On the other hand, the rover can report to the airship or orbiter of an aerial geographic property on the surface.  The idea is similar to divide and conquer with autonomous robots in space.

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