2006 Trends in Robotic Space Exploration Rovers

In 2005 we witnessed the Mars Rover just keep oninnovative minds to it and use their human intent to
trucking like the Energizer Bunny, putting even thepress on. Truly 2005 was an amazing year for robotic
famous "takes licking and keeps on ticking" Timexresearchers to strut their stuff.
Watch commercials to shame. Robotics have certainlyIn 2006 we will see new designs in robotic exploration
made incredible strides here on Earth with roboticrobots, once which will be spherical and use haptics
surveillance aircraft, autonomous cars cruisingmethods for propulsion moving the inside center of
driverless through the harsh desert, vacuuming yourgravity to move along. We will also see protruding
home and even in factories building the next generationspiked wheels to power up steeper terrain and
of hybrid automobiles.systems, which can lift the rovers over rocks and
But Robotics have also made their mark on Martiansteep embankments. We will also see self-assembly
Soil, on the Surface of Mars with tiny tracks from sixtechniques for moving over rock formations, crossing
mechanical wheels moving over hills and dales andgullies and assisting in Lunar Colony, mining
rough terrain. 2005 was a year when our roboticmanufacturing plant and life support construction for
scientists proved to this world and the next that therelater human arrivals. We will see these concepts put
is nothing that humans cannot do, once they put theirforth in realistic terms.