NASA births cliff-hanging yo-yo bot
NASA boffins said today they've built and tested a small and relatively simple robot that can rappel down cliffs, traverse steep terrain, and tarry about in inhospitable craters other rovers would fear to tread.
The robo prototype, called Axel, was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and students at the California Institute of Technology. The engineers hope Axel's design can be used to aid future exploration of Mars — or even assist in Earthly search-and-rescue missions.
Axel rover — named for its single axel design and not the Guns N' Roses front man — was made with the goal of minimal complexity in mind. The rover is powered by only three actuators: two for its wheels and one for the multi-purpose trailing link.
The link works as a lever arm against wheel thrust, can adjust the pitch for Axel's twin cameras, or simply serve a backup actuator should one of the wheel actuators fail.
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