Fink Discusses NASA Rovers with Technology Review

For the Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) project, NASA engineers are exploring designs for a new fleet of mini-rovers that can work in unison to solve problems and autonomously explore other planets. Each rover is planned to include a computer, radio, and camera to capture 3D imagery, all of which can be relayed to other members of the fleet.

ECE professor Wolfgang Fink was recently featured in Technology Review discussing the topic. Finks says s that though rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance had limited autonomy, the shift to full autonomy through projects like CADRE "will allow humanity to explore areas we might never otherwise reach." 

According to Technology Review, one goal of the project is to prevent a recurrence of what happened to NASA’s Mars rover, Spirit, in 2009. Spirit’s wheels got stuck in soft Martian sand and NASA engineers worked for eight months to get it to move. But after multiple failed attempts, Spirit was eventually relegated to service as a "stationary science platform." Even if one gets stuck, CADRE rovers can relay information to each other and missions can continue.