Curiosity Mars Rover To Autonomously Pick Research Targets

The Curiosity Mars Rover is now able to target selective rocks on its own without the intervention of human input. The software known as the Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS) was updated in 2015 to improve the brain of the Curiosity to make decisions on its own.

It’s the first time the artificial intelligence is being tried on the robotic space probes. The outcomes indicate that the technology can be used to enhance the future space missions. The new software allows the ChemCam located on the NASA’s Curiosity’s Mars Rover to autonomously classify the rocks on the Red Planet that have specific features for study.

As a result, the rover will not need close human monitoring and will save the time spent in delays in waiting for instructions from controllers back on Earth. Curiosity is able to continue with the mission even when there is no contact with human controllers. According to the scientists, the new technology will give them enough time to carry out other missions.

The AEGIS software was invented by scientists from U.S. Denmark, and France who joined forces to give the exploratory robots located in space more capacity to be autonomous. They published their findings in the Journal of Science Robotics. Today, the rover has the ability to select multiple targets of rocks each week.

The new competence will give the scientists an opportunity to explore more rock and soil samples on the planet. The smarter Rover is a great milestone in the science history and will significantly improve the outcome of the studies. In most cases, due to losing of signals between space and Earth and the team is not always on the ground to select samples for examination.

The software uses specific criteria in identifying the target rocks basing on their sizes and brilliance. The criteria can be reshuffled depending on the rover’s current environment and the measurement goals.

The latest update on the software gives the science team a chance to assess the rover’s new surroundings and device the execution of the next plan. The AEGIS software was once tried on the NASA’s Opportunity Rover to examine the images from a wide camera.

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Nitika

Nitika Munshi

Nitika is an MCA graduate and works as an all-around news writer at PC-Tablet. In free time, she works on Photoshop and plays GTA V on her Xbox. A tech-enthusiast at heart, she explores ways that businesses can leverage the Internet and move their businesses to the next level.