NASA JPL Engineers Design Other-Worldly Climbing Robots

For Climbing Robots, the Sky's the Limit, NASA

"Robots can drive on the plains and craters of Mars, but what if we could explore cliffs, polar caps and other hard-to-reach places on the Red Planet and beyond? Designed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, a four-limbed robot named LEMUR (Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot) can scale rock walls, gripping with hundreds of tiny fishhooks in each of its 16 fingers and using artificial intelligence (AI) to find its way around obstacles. In its last field test in Death Valley, California, in early 2019, LEMUR chose a route up a cliff while scanning the rock for ancient fossils from the sea that once filled the area."

Marc's note: I had the opportunity to see some early prototype climbing robots on Devon Island in the high arctic where they were being tested in an analog environment alongside an exploration team. To me, it's clear when humans return to the moon and venture beyond we'll need our robot helpers. However, some within the space community aren't as convinced and argue that humans should stay on Terra firma. IMHO that's ridiculous.

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