NASA's Mars rover Opportunity has been given a software update that allows it to make some decisions on its own. The new capability, now being tested, is a rudimentary form of artificial intelligence; NASA is using it now on Opportunity with an eye towards later missions.
The rover can now pick targets of investigation on its own. First, it takes a panoramic image of the area around it. Then, using specific criteria established in the software, it scans the image for objects or areas of interest. When something interesting is found, Opportunity uses another camera to take more detailed images of the something interesting. The first test of the new approach worked well.
Giving planetary rovers more autonomy is clearly the way to go. Driving rovers on one planet from another planet has worked, but it is inefficient and time consuming. Much better, over the long haul, would be to put smart rovers on a world, define their missions, and let them execute with only minimal oversight from humans. Upgrading Opportunity's software is a step in that direction.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment