Robots are undergoing rigorous training sessions to prepare for lunar exploration, starting with earthly terrains like Oregon's Mount Hood.
Perched 6,000 feet high on the Palmer Glacier, a team comprising engineers, cognitive scientists, geoscientists, and planetary scientists from multiple universities, including the University of Southern California and Texas A&M University, gathered to put a four-legged robot named Spirit through its paces.
The LASSIE Project
The LASSIE Project (Legged Autonomous Surface Science in Analog Environments) aims to equip robots with the skills needed to navigate challenging landscapes, simulating conditions akin to those found on the moon and other celestial bodies.
Spirit, equipped with spindly metal legs, braved various terrains during the five-day testing period in the summer of 2023, encountering shifting dirt, slushy snow, and boulders along the way. While the robot demonstrated adeptness in traversing some areas, it also encountered moments of instability and falls, a crucial part of the learning process.
The objective of the project is to gather data that will aid in training future robots for missions to the moon and potentially other planets within our solar system.
Feifei Qian, an assistant professor at USC, emphasized the importance of robots swiftly adapting their locomotion strategies based on terrain conditions, drawing parallels to human locomotion.
"When the robot leg slips on ice or sinks into soft snow, it inspires us to look for new principles and strategies that can push the boundary of human knowledge and enable new technology. We learn and improve from the observed failures," Qian said in a statement.
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NASA-funded TRUSSES Project
Researchers involved in the project aim to leverage the insights gained from Spirit's experiences to develop teams of robots capable of collaborating on lunar missions.
Dubbed the TRUSSES Project (Temporarily, Robots Unite to Surmount Sandy Entrapments, Then Separate), the initiative received funding from NASA to explore the feasibility of deploying teams of robots on the moon.
The envisioned team of robots would include a wheeled rover for long-distance travel, a Hexapedal robot offering intermediate payload capacity and improved mobility, and rugged, dog-like robots similar to Spirit, optimized for high mobility over shorter distances.
These robots would communicate with each other, exchanging information about ground conditions to enhance collective decision-making and navigate challenging terrains safely.
If a robot encounters obstacles or becomes immobile, its counterparts would come to the rescue, employing coordinated maneuvers to assist their stranded teammate. Qian highlighted the significance of these capabilities in preventing and recovering from locomotion failures in extreme environments.
Spirit has undergone testing in various natural environments, including Southern California beaches and the soft granules of White Sands National Park in New Mexico.
However, the recent trials on Mount Hood provided the robot with a uniquely challenging landscape reminiscent of extraterrestrial surfaces, contributing valuable insights to its training regimen.
The project's next phases involve additional trips for Spirit, including return visits to Mount Hood and White Sands National Park.
The ultimate goal is to equip robots with the skills and capabilities needed to explore and conduct scientific investigations on celestial bodies beyond Earth.
