Cool Robot for Antarctic Missions

Students and faculty members at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College have been working on a solar powered robot for operation in arctic environments.

The mission of Professor Laura Ray and her students is:
"...the design and fabrication of a lightweight mobile robot that enables deployment of instrument networks in Antarctica. One can envision deploying multiple robots from the South Pole to desired locations on the plateau for long- or short-term observation, and retrieving or repositioning the robot network through Iridium-based communication."

The robot was successfully tested on a mission to Greenland last yearby autonously finding its way through an unmarked course through the snow and ice.

NASA has expressed interest in the cool design ideas for studies in Antartica and maybe other planets.

The Dartmouth Online