NASA Spins Off Martian Rover Technology for Factory Automation
November 1, 2024
Pasadena, Calif. – NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has licensed its autonomous navigation technology, originally developed for Mars rovers, to a private company that is using it to automate factory assembly lines.
The technology, called Autonomous Navigation for Intelligent Systems (ANIS), allows robots to navigate complex environments without human intervention. It was first developed for the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which landed on the Red Planet in 2004.
ANIS has since been used on a variety of other NASA missions, including the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012.
Now, the technology is being used to automate factory assembly lines for a variety of companies, including a major automotive manufacturer.
“ANIS is a powerful tool that can help companies automate their manufacturing processes and improve efficiency,” said JPL engineer Bob Balaram, who developed the technology. “We’re excited to see it being used in new and innovative ways.”
The company that has licensed ANIS is using it to automate the assembly of a variety of automotive parts, including doors, hoods, and trunks. The company says that ANIS has helped it to reduce assembly time by up to 20%.
“ANIS is a game-changer for us,” said the company’s CEO. “It has allowed us to automate a number of tasks that were previously done by hand, which has saved us time and money.”
NASA is committed to transferring its technology to the private sector, and ANIS is a perfect example of how NASA’s technology can be used to solve real-world problems.
About JPL
JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed by Caltech for NASA. JPL is a leader in robotic space exploration, and its missions have included the Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity, the Cassini mission to Saturn, and the Juno mission to Jupiter.
About ANIS
ANIS is a software system that allows robots to navigate complex environments without human intervention. ANIS uses a variety of sensors, including cameras, lasers, and radar, to build a map of the environment and track the robot’s location. ANIS can then use this map to plan a path to its destination and avoid obstacles.
Contact
Bob Balaram Jet Propulsion Laboratory 818-354-0308 bob.balaram@jpl.nasa.gov
From Mars Rovers to Factory Assembly Lines
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