Lava Tube

Lava tubes, subsurface volcanic conduits, are prime targets for planetary exploration, particularly on Mars, due to their potential to harbor evidence of past life and resources for future human missions. Current research focuses on developing specialized robots for navigating these challenging environments, including legged robots capable of jumping over obstacles and multi-limbed robots using extendable appendages for gripping and traversing irregular surfaces. These efforts involve extensive trade studies optimizing sensor systems, locomotion strategies, and energy efficiency for autonomous operation in the harsh Martian conditions, advancing both robotics and planetary science.