Legged Robots Accelerate Mars and Moon Exploration

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A new study shows that a semi-autonomous four-legged robot can perform geological surveys on simulated Mars and Moon environments much more quickly than traditional human-guided rover missions. The robot, equipped with a robotic arm, a microscopic imager, and a Raman spectrometer, was able to investigate multiple pre-selected targets in 12 to 23 minutes, compared to 41 minutes for a more traditional human-supervised lunar mission. The robot's ability to work independently while still providing scientifically useful data on rock composition and texture suggests future Moon and Mars missions could benefit from agile, legged robots that can rapidly survey large areas.

Why it matters

Current Mars and Moon rovers are limited by the need for cautious, step-by-step control from Earth, which can severely restrict their daily progress. This new research demonstrates that semi-autonomous legged robots could dramatically speed up early-stage planetary prospecting and the search for signs of past life, without sacrificing scientific quality. Faster surveying could help identify the most promising areas for detailed sampling and analysis, making future human and robotic exploration missions more efficient.

The details

In tests at the University of Basel's Marslabor facility, researchers used a quadrupedal robot called ANYmal equipped with a robotic arm, a microscopic imager called MICRO, and a portable Raman spectrometer. The robot was able to navigate to multiple pre-selected targets, deploy its instruments, and collect data on rock composition and texture. This semi-autonomous approach was compared to a more traditional human-guided lunar mission, where operators reviewed results after each step and adjusted the plan as they went. The experiments took place in a controlled analogue environment built to mimic planetary surface conditions, with simulated regolith, analogue rocks, and lighting designed to resemble Mars and the Moon. The robot successfully identified 66.7% of the Martian targets and 100% of the lunar targets, with the Raman spectrometer often providing the key data to distinguish between similar-looking rocks.

• The Marslabor tests were conducted in 2025.
• The robot completed the Mars-style missions in 12 to 23 minutes, compared to 41 minutes for the human-guided lunar mission.

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue testing the legged robot platform in more complex and realistic planetary analogue environments to further evaluate its capabilities and limitations for future Moon and Mars exploration missions.