This Science News Wire page contains a press release issued by an organization and is provided to you "as is" with little or no review from Science X staff.

Robo-dog set for Mars mission: Students to simulate 'rover' expedition

March 10th, 2011

Physics undergraduates from the University of Leicester are taking a dog on its toughest walkies yet: to the barren surface of Mars.

However, this particular dog is the robotic kind and to reach the Martian surface they’ll only need to travel as far as Leicester’s National Space Centre.

As part of their third-year group research project the students have been researching and testing the limits of a Sony Aibo robotic dog to see if such a robotic system would be fit for Mars exploration.

Student Melissa McHugh explained: “We have tested the use of his legs on Mars and have tried his ability to climb slopes and traverse across uneven terrain such as sand. We have also written programs that allow the dog to pick himself up if he falls, to determine his own local direction without the need of GPS or a compass and to take 3D images of nearby objects, just like the real Mars rovers.

“From this project we will appreciate what is required of the real Martian rovers and the challenges that they and the scientists involved face.”

On Saturday 12 March the group, also including Michael Perry, Nathan Pilkington and Stuart Turner, will be testing their ‘rover’ on the National Space Centre’s simulated Mars environment where visitors will be able to get involved and ask questions. The Centre was the brainchild of University of Leicester space scientists and a number of its students, including Melissa, work there part-time.

Melissa said, “The simulated Martian landscape at the National Space Centre is the most realistic and accessible testing facility we have; it was commissioned and built by EADS ASTRIUM for testing the prototypes for the upcoming Exomars project. Using the simulated landscape will drastically improve the outcome of our tests, increasing the validity of the results - always important in physics!

“The National Space Centre were more than happy for us to use the facility as we plan to chat to and involve members of the public who visit on the day we are there.

“We hope that seeing some 'physics research in action' will inspire people and show that physics isn't all about equations and maths. We want them to see that physics and space research are just as fun as they are important.”

Dr Darren Wright of the Department of Physics and Astronomy is pleased that his group of students are taking their project one step further. “Such projects provide an invaluable contribution to the department's teaching programme and allow our students to think innovatively. We are particularly excited that the public will get a chance to witness their work first hand.”

Provided by University of Leicester

Citation: Robo-dog set for Mars mission: Students to simulate 'rover' expedition (2011, March 10) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://sciencex.com/wire-news/61203150/robo-dog-set-for-mars-mission-students-to-simulate-rover-expedit.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.