A team of engineers are building insect-sized robot swarms that could be used to explore space

Move over Mars rover! A team of engineers are building insect-sized robot swarms to explore other planets

  • CSU Northridge engineers are developing tiny insect-like robot swarms
  • The team was given a $538,000 grant from the Department of Defense
  • The robot swarms could eventually replace rovers in exploring other planets

A team of engineers at California State University, Northridge are developing swarms of tiny, insect-sized robots that could help make exploring other planets safer and more efficient.

Led by mechanical engineering professor Nhut Ho, the team was just awarded a $538,000 grant from the US Department of Defense to further develop their miniature robotic space explorers.

The longterm goal is to create autonomous swarms of small robots that can move across the surface of other planets to collect samples and complete tasks that might otherwise be too complicated for a rover, or too risky for a human astronaut.

A team of engineers from California State University, Northridge have been awarded a $538,000 grant from the US Department of Defense to develop autonomous swarms of insect-sized robots to explore other planets

‘We were inspired by the behaviors that we see in swarms of ants and bees that self-organize, create clever solutions for different tasks, work in groups of different sizes and have the ability to complete the tasks even when members fail,’ Ho told CSU Northridge’s news blog.

Ho’s team will collaborate on the project with another group from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which recently won a DARPA competition for autonomous robots completing reconnaissance and search and rescue operations in a simulated disaster area.

Ho’s team will also collaborate with a number of other student groups from CSU Northridge. 

Computer science students will work on developing a virtual reality interface for the robots, and communications students will create public relations material.

If the project is successful, Ho believes it could fundamentally change the way space exploration is conducted.

The team will be led by mechanical engineering professor Nhut Ho, who believes the autonomous robot swarms could fundamentally change the way space exploration is conducted

The team will be led by mechanical engineering professor Nhut Ho, who believes the autonomous robot swarms could fundamentally change the way space exploration is conducted

‘For missions such as exploring the Martian surface and voids, a swarm of simple, small robots can complete complex tasks much more efficiently and effectively than a single large rover,’ Ho said.

‘Then, there’s the question of how much can you do with a rover versus if you have a swarm of machines.’

‘Imagine how much exploration you can do and how much data you can collect that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to by sending just one single rover up there.’