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\t\t\t\t\t\t17\/07\/2025<\/span> For the exploration of planetary bodies with low gravity, such as the Moon or Mars, legged robots have an advantage over traditional rovers. One such robot recently jumped from wall to wall in conditions simulating partial microgravity and free flight at the European Space Agency\u2019s Orbital Robotic Laboratory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Meet Olympus, a four-legged robot developed and built by J\u00f8rgen Anker Olsen, visiting PhD researcher from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.<\/p>\n When on ground, the robot moves around using its four \u2018double\u2019 legs \u2013 each one consists of two limbs with a bending joint, connected at the bottom in a paw-like patch.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the potential applications of robots like Olympus is the exploration of Mars,\u201d explains J\u00f8rgen. \u201cThey could easily move around the planet\u2019s surface, as well as venture beneath it, for example into the martian lava rubes \u2013 volcanic caverns that would be too high-risk for flying probes, like drones, to explore.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, legged robots can jump over obstacles that would be too challenging for robots moving on wheels or tracks. In lower gravity, their jumping ability becomes an even bigger advantage, allowing them to jump much higher than they would on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This means that when moving around to explore a low-gravity planet or the Moon, legged robots could jump around similarly to astronauts during a lunar landing.<\/p>\n Mounted upside down to a floating platform at ESA\u2019s ORBIT facility, Olympus gets to experience simulated microgravity in two dimensions, allowing J\u00f8rgen to better understand how the robot would move under conditions it was created for: the gravity on Mars, which is about 2.5 times weaker than Earth\u2019s gravity.<\/p>\n The ORBIT facility is part of ESA\u2019s Orbital Robotic Laboratory (ORL) located at ESTEC, the agency\u2019s technical heart in the Netherlands. It consists of a 43 m2<\/sup> ultra-flat floor \u2013 the height difference between its lowest and highest points is less than a millimetre.<\/p>\n The facility operates similarly to an air hockey table \u2013 its testing platforms are equipped with air bearings, which create a stable air gap between the platforms and the floor.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This air gap, thinner than a strand of hair and so hardly visible to the human eye, allows the platforms to move across the floor without any friction, reproducing the state of weightless free-floating in two dimensions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe algorithm that makes Olympus move is trained using reinforcement learning \u2013 a machine learning method that works on the basis of trial and error. This means the robot controls its orientation autonomously,\u201d J\u00f8rgen adds.<\/p>\n When the platform rotates to face one direction, the robot tries to right itself with a swimming-like motion, using a technique it has identifies as the best one during simulations. \u201cThis configuration, with Olympus attached to one of ORBIT\u2019s floating platforms, allows us to test the legs\u2019 full range of motion. During one of the testing setups, Olympus was even able to move from wall to wall, reorienting itself after each jump to always land on all four \u2018feet\u2019.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Jules Noirant of ESA\u2019s Orbital Robotics Laboratory comments: \u201cJ\u00f8rgen\u2019s stay at the ORL highlights the versatility of our testing facilities and their ability to support robotic exploration. Our activities range from locomotion controllers in a planetary environment to jumps and stabilisation techniques in microgravity. We are always pleased to host PhD candidates as visiting researchers to validate their work in a relevant environment, creating a valuable outcome for their thesis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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