The EELS “robot snake” is designed to autonomously explore otherwise inaccessible locations on Earth, Mars and beyond.
NASA says a team at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is testing a snake-like robot that could one day explore the subsurface oceans on Saturn’s moon Enceladus by entering through vents on the surface.
The Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor or EELS robot is being designed to autonomously map, traverse and explore otherwise inaccessible destinations on our planet, the Moon and other planets in the solar system, according to JPL.
JPL teams began first developing the prototype in 2019 and they have been making continuous revisions ever since. In 2022, they began conducting monthly field tests while also refining EELS’ hardware and software.
In its latest form, which is called EELS 1.0, it weighs around 100 kilograms and is 4 metres long. It is made of 10 identical segments that rotate using screw threads for traction, grip and propulsion.
As of now, the robot has been tested in sandy, snowy and icy conditions. This includes JPL’s Mars Yard, which is described as a “robot playground” set in a ski resort to act as Mars-like terrain.
The autonomous operation of the robot is crucial because of the long time communications lag time between Earth and other planets and celestial bodies in deep space. A radio signal to Saturn, for instance, could take around 83 minutes to travel in one direction.
Due to this communication lag between Earth and other celestial bodies, EELS will have to travel while autonomously sensing its environment and calculating risk to gather data with science instruments. The science instruments that will be packaged into EELS are yet to be determined.
“Imagine a car driving autonomously, but there are no stop signs, no traffic signals, not even any roads. The robot has to figure out what the road is and try to follow it,” said the project’s autonomy lead, Rohan Thakker, in a press statement.
For this, EELS creates a 3D map of its surroundings using 8 stereo cameras and lidar. Navigation algorithms use the data from those sensors to figure out the safest path for the robot. Engineers are working on building a “library” of movements for the robot to use in response to different terrains.
This library includes moves like sidewinding to a move the team calls “banana,” which involves the robot curling in on itself.
When it reaches its final form, JPL expects the robot to have 48 actuators, or little motors. While this will give EELS a lot of flexibility, it will add complexity for both the software and hardware teams.
Thakker compares these 48 actuators to “48 steering wheels.” Many of these actuators will have built-in force torque sensing. This sensing works a little like skin so EELS can “feel” how much force it is exerting on terrain.
Source:indianexpress.com