Scientists created robotic "hedgehogs" that could be used to explore the surface of Mars and other objects such as comets.
Traditional Mars rovers move around on two wheels and cannot operate upside down, but these new hedgehogs could overcome some of these obstacles with their incredibly small bodies and ability to tumble and flip, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported.
"Hedgehog is a different kind of robot that would hop and tumble on the surface instead of rolling on wheels. It is shaped like a cube and can operate no matter which side it lands on," said Issa Nesnas, leader of the JPL team.
The robots are propelled by spinning and braking internal flywheels and are covered in protective spikes that act as "feet."
"The spikes could also house instruments such as thermal probes to take the temperature of the surface as the robot tumbles," Nesnas said.
A team of scientists tested two Hedgehog prototypes (one from Stanford and one from JPL) aboard NASA's C-9 aircraft for microgravity research over the course of four flights in June 2015. The researchers tested various maneuvers on materials mimicking different surface environments such as "sandy, rough and rocky, slippery and icy, and soft and crumbly."
"We demonstrated for the first time our Hedgehog prototypes performing controlled hopping and tumbling in comet-like environments," said Robert Reid, lead engineer on the project at JPL.
The robot's most common move is a "yaw," or a turn in place. The researchers also demonstrated the hedgehog prototypes could perform a "tornado" maneuver, in which it aggressively spins to launch itself from a surface. Both prototypes perform these maneuvers by spinning and stopping three internal flywheels using motors and breaks. JPL's prototype uses disc shaped breaks and Stanford's uses friction belts to halt the flywheels.
"The geometry of the Hedgehog spikes has a great influence on its hopping trajectory. We have experimented with several spike configurations and found that a cube shape provides the best hopping performance. The cube structure is also easier to manufacture and package within a spacecraft," said Benjamin Hockman, lead engineer on the project at Stanford.
The researchers are now working to improve the Hedgehog's autonomy in hopes of one day sending fleets of them out to explore alien objects.
Hedgehog is currently in Phase II development through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program, and is led by Pavone.
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