Autonomous Swarming Technologies for Lunar Exploration Robots

By Mike Ball / 31 Oct 2021

Drone Swarm Technology

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Lunar exploration robots
Follow UST

Charles River Analytics has been awarded a contract by NASA to develop autonomous swarm capabilities for teams of exploration robots. The company is collaborating with Dr. Carlo Pinciroli of Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Novel Engineering for Swarm Technologies (NEST) Lab to support future missions of NASA’s Lunar Exploration Program.

As efforts grow to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, NASA needs to explore and understand the composition and origin of the lunar surface. Robots and multi-robot systems are being developed that can take measurements and explore hills, craters, and even lava tubes, but these robots require the ability to coordinate their activity autonomously in the event that they lose communication with controllers on Earth.

The ASTER (Autonomous Swarming for Teams of Exploration Robots) project will explore cooperation and behavior allocation for autonomous teams of four to ten robotic vehicles. It combines the Swarm Coordination Framework developed at Charles River Analytics and the Buzz Programming Language developed by Dr. Pinciroli at the NEST Lab (both developed for real-world, heterogeneous robot swarms) to give robot teams the ability to divide up tasks among themselves, with each robot recognizing which job it can do best, given what it knows about the available tasks and all the other robotic vehicles on its team.

Due to dust, mechanical wear, and harsh environments, robots almost always lose some technical capability. Robot teams must learn to anticipate and detect any deterioration that occurs, and use their combined capabilities to work around the damage. ASTER will also use degradation and fault management algorithms to give the robot team this ability.

David Koelle, Technical Lead on the ASTER project, commented: “Robots are our exploration pioneers. To understand our universe and prepare for our presence on a new planet, advance robot teams will have to work together effectively, anticipate each other’s needs, and troubleshoot real-world problems without human intervention.”

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

SightLine Software & Hardware Advancements for Enhanced ISR Applications

SightLine Applications LLC introduces the 3.9.2 update, enhancing the 4100 video processor and unveiling the ultra-compact 1710 processor for advanced ISR applications

Jul 16, 2025
Silicon Sensing’s MEMS Technology Enhances Vehicle Localization for Autonomous Driving

The University of Toronto investigated approaches to determining spatial awareness in autonomous vehicles, with Silicon Sensing's DMU41 IMU succeeding in cost-effectiveness, reliability and accuracy

Jul 16, 2025
CHC Navigation Launches AU20 MMS for Precision LiDAR Mapping of Infrastructure

CHC Navigation (CHCNAV) has unveiled the AU20 MMS, a vehicle-mounted mobile mapping system designed for accurate and efficient collection of 3D spatial data

Jul 16, 2025
ZIYAN to Highlight UAV Coordination & Unmanned Helicopter Solutions at IDEF 2025

ZIYAN Tech will unveil its latest combat UAV technologies at IDEF 2025, highlighting advanced swarm coordination, ISR systems, and unmanned helicopter capabilities

Jul 16, 2025
Boosting First Responder Drones with Advanced BVLOS Technology

DroneSense and MatrixSpace partner to enhance BVLOS capabilities, accelerating the safe, scalable use of drones in public safety and Drone as First Responder missions

Jul 16, 2025
TEKEVER Advancing Defense & Civil Security Drones with Cahors Centre of Excellence

Tekever will establish a new dual-use Centre of Excellence in Cahors, France to develop, test, integrate and industrialize autonomous defense and security technologies

Jul 16, 2025

Featured Content

SBG Systems Evaluates INS Performance in GNSS-Denied Marine Applications

SBG Systems evaluates the performance of its INS solutions in GNSS-denied marine environments, comparing system accuracy with and without DVL and warm-up support

Jul 14, 2025
USAF Uses Inertial Labs Drone Lidar for Tree Obstruction Survey

The US Air Force successfully used Inertial Labs drone Lidar and cloud software to quickly map tree obstructions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), improving airfield safety

Jul 11, 2025
New UAV to Combine Solar Hydrogen & Battery Power for Extended Flight

XSun and H3 Dynamics are developing the first UAV powered by solar, hydrogen, and batteries, aiming to deliver zero-emission, long-endurance unmanned flight

Jul 07, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.