![]() ![]() ![]() From deep ocean trenches to hydrothermal vents, there are many new destinations we will explore,” said Andy Klesh, a systems engineer also at JPL. “In the future, some of the most extreme ocean environments will be within our reach. And when working with robot buddies, maps can be shared, cross-referenced, and developed to quickly identify areas of scientific interest. The high-resolution maps xVIO creates are stored to memory so that when Orpheus returns to the area, it will recognize the unique distribution of the features and use them as a starting point to expand its exploration. But this system is more than simply a means to prevent the submersible robot from getting lost. Like remembering landmarks during a road trip, xVIO will construct 3D maps using these features as waypoints to help it navigate. As Orpheus travels over the seafloor, xVIO identifies features – such as rocks, shells, and coral – below the vehicle. Orpheus’ version of vision-based navigation is called visual-inertial odometry, or xVIO, and it works by using a system of advanced cameras and pattern-matching software along with instruments that can precisely measure its orientation and motion. Smaller than a quad bike and weighing about 550 pounds (250 kilograms), Orpheus is designed to be nimble, easy to operate, and rugged while exploring depths inaccessible to most vehicles. By utilizing a low-power system of cameras and lights, along with advanced software, Orpheus is an order of magnitude lighter than most deep-sea submersibles. Large, high-power location-finding equipment like sonar would normally be required to navigate the dark and often murky waters near the seabed. In a similar way, the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter uses a vision-based navigation system to track surface features on the ground during flight in order to estimate its movements across the Martian surface.ĭeveloped by engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, an evolution of the vision-based navigation that has been used on Mars will now undergo a trial run a little closer to home: off the U.S. The system allowed the descending robot to visually map the Martian landscape, identify hazards, and then choose a safe place to land without human assistance. Terrain-relative navigation was instrumental in helping NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Mars rover make its precision touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. Called Orpheus, this new class of submersible robot will showcase a system that will help it find its way and identify interesting scientific features on the seafloor. On May 14, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) ship Okeanos Explorer will depart from Port Canaveral in Florida on a two-week expedition led by NOAA Ocean Exploration, featuring the technology demonstration of an autonomous underwater vehicle. Now it’s time to test a similar system while exploring another frontier. Terrain-relative navigation helped Perseverance land – and Ingenuity fly – autonomously on Mars. ![]()
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