Washington: Researchers at NASA are currently engaged in training a robot dog for exploration on the moon.
A team of engineers and scientists from NASA, Texas A&M University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania has sent a four-legged robot named “Spirit” to the snowy and rugged terrains of Mount Hood in Oregon.
The Legged Autonomous Surface Sciences Analog (LASSA) project aims to teach the robot to navigate various environments with the ultimate goal of sending it to the surfaces of the moon and other planets in the solar system.
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Southern California, Fay Fay Quin stated in a statement that a robot with legs needs the ability to identify objects in its surroundings to adapt its locomotion strategies according to the circumstances.
The team of researchers received a $2 million grant from NASA to support the project for two years with the aim of assisting the robot in reaching the surface of the moon.
This innovative project represents a significant step forward in robotic exploration paving the way for future missions to celestial bodies beyond Earth.
