Oasis: Onboard autonomous science investigation system for opportunistic rover science: Research Articles

  • Authors:

  • Rebecca Castano;Tara Estlin;Robert C. Anderson;Daniel M. Gaines;Andres Castano;Benjamin Bornstein;Caroline Chouinard;Michele Judd

  • Affiliations:

  • Machine Learning and Instrument Autonomy Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 126-347 Pasadena, California 91109;Artificial Intelligence Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 126-347 Pasadena, California 91109;Geophysics and Planetary Geosciences Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 264-621 Pasadena, California 91109;Artificial Intelligence Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 126-347 Pasadena, California 91109;Machine Vision Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 125-209 Pasadena, California 91109;Machine Learning and Instrument Autonomy Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 126-347 Pasadena, California 91109;Artificial Intelligence Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 125-209 Pasadena, California 91109;Science Division Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4800 Oak Grove Drive—MS 183-335 Pasadena, California 91109

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Field Robotics - Special Issue on Space Robotics, Part III
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

The Onboard Autonomous Science Investigation System has been developed to enable a rover to identify and react to serendipitous science opportunities. Using the FIDO rover in the Mars Yard at JPL, we have successfully demonstrated a fully autonomous opportunistic science system. The closed loop system tests included the rover acquiring image data, finding rocks in the image, analyzing rock properties and identifying rocks that merit further investigation. When the system on the rover alerts the rover to take additional measurements of interesting rocks, the planning and scheduling component determines if there are enough resources to meet this additional science data request. The rover is then instructed to either turn toward the rock, or to actually move closer to the rock to take an additional, close-up image. Prototype dust devil and cloud detection algorithms were delivered to an infusion task which refined the algorithms specifically for Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). These algorithms have been integrated into the MER flight software and were recently uploaded to the rovers on Mars. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.