PRoViScout

PRoViScout stands for "Planetary Robotics Vision Scout". It is an EU Collaborative Project in the frame of FP7-SPACE-2009-1.

Starting date: Apr 1st, 2010
Project duration: 30 Months (completed September 2012)
Official Link: www.proviscout.eu

ProViScout will demonstrate the combination of vision-based autonomous sample identification & sample selection with terrain hazard analysis for a long range scouting/exploration mission on a terrestrial planet. It brings together major European groups currently working on planetary robotic vision, supported by NASA-JPL from the USA.

Most robotic planetary space missions performing in situ exploration of the surface and atmosphere for any planetary object outside the Earth involve a means of mobility provided by either a surface vehicle (rover) or by aerial vehicles (balloons, aerobots etc.). Mobile systems are among the most critical of all space missions in requiring a rapid and robust on-site processing and preparation of scientific data to allow efficient operations for a maximum use of their limited lifetime. In future the number and variety of such platforms will require more autonomy than is feasible today, particularly in the autonomous on-site selection of and access to scientific and mission-strategic targets. ProViScout will provide the robotic vision building blocks on board of such future autonomous exploration systems.

ProViScout aims to:

  1. build a framework for planetary robotic on-board vision processing,
  2. develop the technology to autonomously select scientific sites of interest during future planetary robotic missions in order to maximize the mission value for scientific research, technology and education
  3. develop a unified and generic approach for robotic vision on-board processing, namely the combination of navigation and scientific target selection
  4. demonstrate the synergies and complementarities of existing solutions, and complete missing components by defining and demonstrating on-board robotic vision for a set of typical reference mission scenarios,
  5. integrate all components into a framework ready for field demonstration
  6. increase public awareness of planetary robotic exploration.

The primary objective of PRoViScout is to increase the amount of quality science data that remote planetary rovers can deliver on behalf of Earth based science teams. This will be done by prototyping intelligent technologies which increase the autonomy of planetary exploration vehicles and therefore exploration efficiency.

The PRoViScout project ran from April 2010 until September 2012, and culminated in an extensive field trial in the Mars-like landscape of the Caldera National Park, Tenerife. Aberystwyth University provided the rover platform (Idris), the primary camera system (AUPE), onboard computer, navigation and imaging software, the "mission control" van, network infrastructure & logistics for the field trial.

Also as part of the trial, an Aberystwyth-designed and built aerobot was flown to gather wide-area context image data which was then use for planning the rover's path through the terrain.

PRoViScout Participating Institutions