*It's cute. Even the British think so. via @arcfinity
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/home/feature_cosmos.html
(...)
"Making Use of Reduced Gravity
"At first blush, having a robot “take a tumble” might sound a bit worrisome – but that’s exactly how Pavone envisions a way to move about on other worlds. The idea is to make use of the reduced gravity of small bodies.
"Pavone’s mobility platforms would be unleashed by a mother spacecraft. Once on the surface of a small body, each platform would literally spring into action. Long vaults on the far out world could be accomplished by hopping. Short treks by a platform to select locations on the body are done through a sequence of controlled tumbles. High-altitude, point-to-point jumps by a platform are feasible too.
“The proposed robotic platforms would behave as spacecraft/rover hybrids, capable of accessing most destinations on virtually any small body,” Pavone says. By using multiple platforms, the landscape of a small body could be closely observed, sampled and measured. Another plus for using several units, according to Pavone, is that the loss of one hybrid would not spell the end of the mission.
"The NIAC-backed investigation gives Pavone the opportunity to draw upon several fields of his expertise, from control theory, autonomous systems, coordination of multi-robot networks to formation flying and bio-inspired robotics...."
