We need autonomy because we are going
deeper into the solar system. We need
this kind of technology. After we won the
NASA Centennial Challenge we have now
started working in collaboration with
NASA JPL on a new project. Our fast
traverse rover. We are going to take
everything that we've learned from the
Centennial Challenge and make future
Mars rovers more autonomous. We were
funded by NASA EPSCoR program to develop
a fast traverse capability for future
Mars rovers. We're adding shock
resistance and an active suspension
system. This rover needs to be able to
autonomously navigate over long
distances. Travel kilometers at a time,
without human input, making its own
decisions for obstacle avoidance. Robot have to decide everything by itself.
The NASA Centennial challenge really opened the door, it gives us the credibility as
a research group as, "we've already
achieved this, here's how we're going to
improve it and here's how we're going to
apply it."
