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Solar Powered Robot Keeps Track Of The Sun As It Explores
Pittsburgh - August 3, 2001 A prototype, solar-powered robot, developed with support from NASA by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, has demonstrated a concept that could pave the way for future long-term robotic exploration of distant planets and moons. Late last month, the robot, named Hyperion, successfully completed field experiments on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. It tested the concept of Sun-Synchronous Navigation, a technique that involves tracking the sun while exploring terrain. Hyperion performed navigation experiments during a period of 24-hour sunlight, exploring the terrain it encountered while simultaneously monitoring its solar panels to ensure that they collected enough energy to complete each segment of its planned traverse. During the initial experiment on July 19, Hyperion traveled 6.1 kilometers and made history by circumnavigating the Von Braun Planitia, an area near Devon Island's Haughton Crater. The crater is the subject of ongoing study by the NASA Haughton-Mars Project because of its apparent similarity to the terrain on Mars. According to project manager David Wettergreen, a Robotics Institute research scientist, about 95 percent of the circuit was completed autonomously, with the remainder under remote supervision. The experiment began and ended with the robot's batteries fully charged and ready to continue operation.
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