Rovers for Intelligent, Agile Traverse of Challenging Terrain

Planetary surface mobility has to date been limited to benign locations. If rover systems could be developed for more challenging terrain, e.g., sloped and irregularly featured areas, then planetary science opportunities would be greatly expanded. We have in the last several years carried out a related program of R&D that involves new concepts in reconfigurable mobility and on-board adaptive control of same in response to the sensed and changing environment. Several prototype systems and their in-field demonstration have resulted, including a single "All Terrain Explorer" which significantly extends operability into steeply sloped sandy terrain, as well as a new "Cliff-bot" which achieves near vertical cliff-side operation via fully distributed sensing and control within a team of cooperative agents. We overview these developments, noting their potential for a broader class of robotic system applications.