A Team of Robots Designed to Explore Space Caves

Before attempting to send astronauts to other planets, scientists must rely on new technology development to tackle the safety and landscape of new space environments. Some interesting geologic features for potential habitability are underground “lava caves,” which are channels left behind from previous volcanic eruptions on the Moon and Mars that can be seen from satellite imaging. These caves could shield humans from cosmic rays, solar storms, and micrometeorites, providing an ideal environment to establish outposts for space exploration. 

A group of scientists designed a team of two robots to explore such caves and tested them in a simulated environment on Lanzarote, an island in Spain. The robots first dropped a small, cubical probe into the cave entrance, which mapped the area so the robots could plan a descent path. Anchored by the larger robot, the smaller robot then rappelled down into the cave to more accurately image the cave’s three-dimensional space. Over the course of the test, the small robot was able to detach itself and navigate through more than 200 meters of uneven cave terrain. Impressively, the smaller robot’s descent and mapping were performed completely autonomously. However, one remaining critical challenge is to maintain radio communications with the robots in the deeper portions of the caves, where the rock makes it difficult to send and receive radio waves. 

To get humans closer to distant space travel, scientists are working to develop technologies that can ensure safe and successful missions. In the future, robots like the ones in this study might be sent to the Moon or Mars to preemptively map a location for astronauts to inhabit, a key step to ensuring safety for those who embark on missions in this new age of space exploration. 

This study was led by Raúl Domínguez with corresponding author Carlos Péres-del-Pulgar at the University of Malaga in Spain.

Managing Correspondent: Olivia Lavidor

Press Article: Watch rappelling robots dive into a lava tube — for science (Nature Briefing) 

Original Journal Articles: Cooperative robotic exploration of a planetary skylight surface and lava cave (Science Robotics)

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