The Hedgehog project, which is being jointly developed by researchers at NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( MIT ), Stanford University and MIT , will hop and tumble in space, rather than roll, like conventional space rovers. Researchers tested these manoeuvres on different materials that mimic a wide range of surfaces: sandy, rough and rocky, slippery and icy, and soft and crumbly. three Hedgehog prototypes were tested in June 2015 , aboard Stanford University 's C-9 aircraft for microgravity research. The researchers are reportedly working on improving robot autonomy so that they can perform tasks more independently. The Mars is also low in cost, relative to conventional space rovers, meaning multiple robots could be taken to space on one flight to improve research.
The Hedgehog project, which is being jointly developed by researchers at NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( MIT ), Stanford University and MIT , will hop and tumble in space, rather than roll, like conventional space rovers. three Hedgehog prototypes were tested in June 2015 , aboard Stanford University 's C-9 aircraft for microgravity research. The researchers are reportedly working on improving robot autonomy so that they can perform tasks more independently. The Mars is also low in cost, relative to conventional space rovers, meaning multiple robots could be taken to space on one flight to improve research.