WVU space robotics research helps Mars rovers find their footing

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 02:31:20 GMT
Space Daily

Morgantown WV (SPX) Aug 12, 2022 West Virginia University scientists have developed a way for...

West Virginia University scientists have developed a way for extraplanetary rovers to use nonvisual information to maneuver over treacherous terrain.

Space roboticist Cagri Kilic, a Statler College of Engineering postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineeringat the WVU Navigation Laboratory, led research on preventing slips and stumbles in planetary rovers that will be featured in a Field Robotics paper he coauthored with aerospace engineering associate professors Yu Gu and Jason Gross.

Darkness and extreme brightness can both make it hard for rovers to depend on visual data for navigation, but Kilic's work also focuses on helping the rover in situations where aspects of the physical terrain are difficult to read based on a visual inspection: steep slopes, loose debris, layers of different sands, soft soil or salt flats like those of Europa, Jupiter's moon.

"The area was actually found when we were doing some tests for the Mars Society's University Rover Challenge," he said.

"Mars rovers can understand if there is an obstacle in front of them," Kilic said.

According to Kilic, it's "Homogeneous, visually-low feature environments similar to deserts, ocean or tundra on our planet" that are a problem for rovers not just on Mars, but also on Earth's moon and potentially on Europa, where the presence of ice has excited scientific speculation about habitability.

Still, Kilic's research specifically aims to benefit the rovers that are currently exploring Mars: Curiosity, Perseverance and Zhurong.

Mars is Kilic's priority because "Martian soil is exceptionally challenging for traversability. Even throughout a single drive, Mars rovers traverse on various terrains with different slopes."??

His method already boasts slip detection accuracy of more than 92% for distances of around 150 meters and drains fewer computational resources than visually based navigation, enabling rovers using Kilic's software to travel faster and stop less often than when they rely on visual signals.

Although the research still has some distance to travel, Kilic said the results to date "Show us that we" - and the rovers - "Are on the right path."?