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Fido robot
Robotics at JPL .

NeBula-SPOT

Explores complex environments without human guidance

Robot Statistics

Ability

Walking

Movement

Legged, Moving

Status

In Development

Potential Destinations

Mars, Moon

Animal Analog: Dog

About NeBula-SPOT

This four-legged explorer prototype combines autonomy "smarts" provided by JPL with a doglike walker called NeBula-SPOT, built by Boston Dynamics. Subterranean Spot was developed in response to the Subterranean Challenge, a contest sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Awareness

Autonomous

This electronic canine was designed to demonstrate the autonomy needed to navigate extreme environments without human guidance or access to GPS.

Agility

Future Spelunker

Mapping caves on the Moon or Mars could identify good shelters for future astronauts. Moreover, if it exists at all, microbial life has a better chance of survival under the surface of Mars or within the icy seas of planetary moons, like Europa, Enceladus and Titan. NASA wants to search for life in

Factoid

Autonomous

This electronic canine was designed to demonstrate the autonomy needed to navigate extreme environments without human guidance or access to GPS.

Factoid

Future Spelunker

Mapping caves on the Moon or Mars could identify good shelters for future astronauts. Moreover, if it exists at all, microbial life has a better chance of survival under the surface of Mars or within the icy seas of planetary moons, like Europa, Enceladus and Titan. NASA wants to search for life in

Collaborative SubTerranean Autonomous Robots (CoSTAR) is developing robots that can autonomously explore caves, pits, tunnels and other subsurface terrain. Watch the team and their squad of robots prepare for the DARPA Subterranean Challenge Urban Circuit during a practice run at Elma High School in Elma, Washington, in the days leading up to the competition.

Credit: NASA-JPL/Caltech

Image gallery

NeBula-SPOT

Find Out More

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