Legged Autonomous Surface Science In Analogue Environments (LASSIE): Making Every Robotic Step Count in Planetary Exploration
Organizations: Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331, USA · Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843, USA · Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, USA · Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA · Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 86011, USA · School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, USA · NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, 35812, USA · NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, 77058, USA · Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA · Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, 19122, USA
Abstract
The ability to efficiently and effectively explore planetary surfaces is currently limited by the capability of wheeled rovers to traverse challenging terrains, and by pre-programmed data acquisition plans with limited in-situ flexibility. In this paper, we present two novel approaches to address these limitations: (i) high-mobility legged robots that use direct surface interactions to collect rich information about the terrain's mechanics to guide exploration; (ii) human-inspired data acquisition algorithms that enable robots to reason about scientific hypotheses and adapt exploration priorities based on incoming ground-sensing measurements. We successfully verify our approach through lab work and field deployments in two planetary analog environments. The new capability for legged robots to measure soil mechanical properties is shown to enable effective traversal of challenging terrains. When coupled with other geologic properties (e.g., composition, thermal properties, and grain size data etc), soil mechanical measurements reveal key factors governing the formation and development of geologic environments. We then demonstrate how human-inspired algorithms turn terrain-sensing robots into teammates, by supporting more flexible and adaptive data collection decisions with human scientists. Our approach therefore enables exploration of a wider range of planetary environments and new substrate investigation opportunities through integrated human-robot systems that support maximum scientific return.