Sample Return Robot Challenge
Members of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) team AERO (Autonomous Exploration RObot) work on their robot in the practice field during the NASA 2013 Sample Return Robot Challenge, Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. The AERO team was one of eleven teams competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Image Number: 201306040013HQ
Date: June 4, 2013
Sample Return Robot Challenge
Members of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) team AERO (Autonomous Exploration RObot) work on their robot in the practice field during the NASA 2013 Sample Return Robot Challenge, Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. The AERO team was one of eleven teams competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Image Number: 201306040013HQ
Date: June 4, 2013