Researchers from Poland, Switzerland, and the USA are testing a swarm of autonomous rovers for faster and more accurate Mars exploration.
Scientists and students from Warsaw University of Technology and Jagiellonian University are collaborating with universities in Basel and San Jose. They recently concluded initial tests in Józefosław, equipped with Lidars, stereoscopic cameras, and georadars.
Professor Robert Olszewski explains that these rovers operate independently, similar to an ant colony, making real-time decisions based on their surroundings. This reduces dependency on delayed signals from Earth.
These smaller rovers, costing significantly less than traditional models like Perseverance, distribute risk across multiple units. If some fail, the mission can still succeed.
Field tests will continue in Mars-like environments, including the Atacama Desert and Antarctica. Additionally, collaboration with NASA focuses on potential Mars terraforming and introducing plants to convert CO2 to oxygen.