Robotic trials for future Mars missions

On September 15th GMV participated in the Teide National Park field trials in Tenerife as part of the delivery of results of the European Union ProViScout project (Planetary Robotics Vision Scout) (Call FP7-SPACE).

A mixed team made up by 12 research centers and private firms, in which GMV was responsible for rover vehicle navigation (Idris robot), took this chance of developing the basic robot vision modules for future planet exploration missions without human intervention.

The disused open-cast mining site called Minas de San José in Tenerife was chosen for this trial because of its Martian-like landscape. The trial aims included testing algorithms developed for spotting likely science targets, image processing, mapping and rover navigation and detecting targets and possible threats for future missions on the red planet, all without human intervention.

The experts, including GMV’s head of robotics, Alberto Medina, have been working on this project for the last 30 months and now hope that these technologies will be reused on future ESA missions (including the upcoming Exomars mission, whose main goal is to send a rover to Mars in 2018).

The Idris robot weighs 300 kg and has been designed to capture various types of images (1 stereo vision system, 1 high-resolution camera and 2 fluorescence detection cameras). This combination of vision systems makes it capable of three-dimensional mapping up to 40x40m while moving autonomously about the terrain, skirting any obstacles on the way. While heading for its destination it can also take panoramic images and spot rocky areas of scientific interest, replanning onboard activities accordingly. The vehicle is capable of storing information and sending it from Mars to Earth with a communication delay of about 20 minutes.

After the successes of the final trials GMV is now working towards the next challenge: navigating over scores of kilometers in a Mars-like terrain (e.g. Atacama desert in Chile). This will generate a database of high-resolution (1:10) geo-referenced scientific images that will then help the European science community to develop their inorganic/organic life detection algorithms within the context of the Exomars rover mission.