Researchers Develop Mini Rover That Can Escape Martian Sand Traps [WATCH]

A team of researchers created a mini rover that’s capable of maneuvering across the sand traps of Mars and the Moon. It was developed based on a canceled rover project that NASA previously worked on.

The new rover was developed by researchers from Georgia Tech University. A study about their creation was published in the journal Science Robotics.

For years, space agencies such as NASA have been improving the designs of their robotic rovers. Ultimately, the agencies want to come up with a design that would improve the mobility of the rovers.

Traveling across the harsh terrain of Mars and the Moon can be challenging. For instance, back in 2009, NASA’s Spirit rover got stuck in a sand trap on the Red Planet. Since it was not able to get out, the rover eventually ran out of power and froze to death.

As a possible solution to the threat posed by sand traps on Mars and the Moon, NASA developed a new type of rover in 2015 known as the Resource Prospector 15 (RP15). Equipped with paddles on its wheels and the ability to lift its limbs, the rover was capable of crawling out of sand traps.

Unfortunately, the RP15 project was canceled in 2018. Recently, a team of researchers from Georgia Tech University revisited the project and created a miniature version of RP15 using a 3D printer and commercially available components.

Like its predecessor, the mini RP15 is also capable of lifting and wiggling its wheels in order to maneuver its way out of sand traps. To test its capabilities, the researchers subjected the rover to various types of terrain.

For instance, the rover climbed a steep slope composed of poppy seeds. Through a series of motions, such as moving and paddling its wheels, the rover was able to successfully go through the slope.

Creating a miniature version of the rover allowed them to test the capabilities of its larger version in a controlled manner. They believe the same concept can also be applied to other robotic instruments that will be used in missions to the Moon and Mars.

“By creating a small robot with capabilities similar to the RP15 rover, we could test the principles of locomoting with various gaits in a controlled laboratory environment,” researcher Andras Karsai said in a statement.