Astrodog reporting for duty. Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls
While this cute “˜astrodog’ was posing, 11 teams of engineers from across the US were trying to develop the next generation of robots at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. The new autonomous robotic systems will explore other planets and bring back samples to NASA. The technologies will also assist here on Earth, helping in disaster mitigation and mapping hazardous terrains. The winner of the NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Challenge will be announced within the next few days, the winning project will receive $1.5 million dollars.
