Hedgehog robot on Mars. Illustration of a future planned robot leaving its parent spacecraft to explore Mars. A normal wheeled rover cannot operate up

---

Hedgehog robot on Mars. Illustration of a future planned robot leaving its parent spacecraft to explore Mars. A normal wheeled rover cannot operate upside down, while this 'hedgehog' cube-shaped robot can function regardless of which side lands up. It moves by spinning and stopping three internal flywheels, using motors and brakes. The project is being jointly developed by researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The spikes protect the robot's body from the terrain, act as feet, and could also contain sensors. Image published in 2015.

---

Size: 3422px × 2567px
Photo credit: © NASA/JPL-Caltech/Stanford/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, 1, 2015, 21st, artwork, autonomous, century, developing, engineering, exploration, exploring, flight, flywheel, future, futuristic, hedgehog, illustration, jpl, jumping, mars, martian, mit, nasa, planet, planetary, proposal, robot, robotic, robotics, rotating, science, single, solar, space, spaceflight, spinning, stanford, surface, system, technological, technology, unmanned