News & Events

Cataglyphis: an Autonomous Sample Return Robot

Professor Yu Gu,West Virginia University

Computer Studies Building 523

Abstract: Robotic sample detection, collection, and return in a large GPS-denied natural environment presents many technical challenges. During this talk, the speaker will present the design of Cataglyphis, an autonomous rover that won NASA’s Sample Return Robot (SRR) Centennial Challenge. During the 2016 final SRR challenge, Cataglyphis autonomously found and returned five samples within two hours in an area as large as four soccer fields. The speaker will discuss the motivations behind various design choices made for Cataglyphis, the challenges encountered, the mistakes made, and the stories from competing in the NASA Centennial Challenge. He will also discuss future research directions in the areas of robotic pollination and improving the autonomy of future planetary rovers.

Bio:  Dr. Yu Gu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University. His main research interest is to improve robots’ ability to function in increasingly complex environments and situations. Dr. Gu has designed more than a dozen UAVs and ground robots to perform a wide spectrum of experiments. Dr. Gu was the leader for WVU Team Mountaineers that won the NASA SRR Challenge in 2014 (Level-1 Challenge), 2015 (Level-2 Challenge with a $100,000 prize), and 2016 (Final Challenge with a $750,000 prize).

Pizza and soda provided