The Robotics Institute

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute

Copyright notice: This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. These works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Abstract

This paper describes autonomous detection and response capabilities used to enhance a robotic search for life in the Atacama Desert of Chile, part of the NASA ASTEP Limits of Life in the Atacama campaign. Autonomous chlorophyll detection and followup dye application was field tested in the Atacama. Samples autonomously chosen for dye followup were significantly more likely to contain photosynthetic organisms than samples chosen at random. The new autonomy capabilities were successfully integrated into the operations scheme and saw continuing use by the remote team operating the rover.

Keywords

science autonomy

Notes

Associated Center(s) / Consortia: Field Robotics Center

Associated Project(s): Science Autonomy

Text Reference

Trey Smith, David R. Thompson, S. Weinstein, and David Wettergreen, "Autonomous Rover Detection and Response Applied to the Search for Life Via Chlorophyll Fluorescence in the Atacama Desert," Proc. of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March, 2006.

BibTeX Reference

@inproceedings{Smith_2006_5309,
   author = "Trey Smith and David R Thompson and S. Weinstein and David Wettergreen",
   title = "Autonomous Rover Detection and Response Applied to the Search for Life Via Chlorophyll Fluorescence in the Atacama Desert",
   booktitle = "Proc. of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference",
   month = "March",
   year = "2006",
}

The Robotics Institute

Menu