coondoggie writes “NASA researchers today said they had built and tested a robot that can rappel off cliffs, travel over steep and rocky terrain, and explore deep craters. The prototype rover, called Axel, might help future robotic spacecraft better explore and investigate foreign worlds such as Mars. On Earth, Axel might assist in search-and-rescue operations in locations where people might not be able to reach. Axel can operate upside down and right side up and uses only three motors: one to control each of its two wheels and a third to control a lever. The lever contains a scoop to gather lunar or planetary material for scientists to study, and it also adjusts the robot’s two stereo cameras, which can tilt 360 degrees, NASA said.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Related posts
- NASA Fashions Mountain Climbing Robot
- NASA Mars Rovers Hit 5-Year Anniversary
- Look Out, Firefox 3: IE8 Is Back On Top For Now
- The Perils of Simplifying Risk To a Single Number
- RIAA's Oppenheim Tries To Protect MediaSentry
- Google's answer to Java, Flash, Windows: Native Client
- Mozilla Patches 8 Security Flaws
- Obama To Name Melissa Hathaway Cybersecurity Chief
- With Lawsuit Settled, Hackers Working With MBTA
- The Technology Behind the Magic Yellow Line
Read More