This Robot Could Explore Mars 3x Faster Than Today's Rovers

Researchers tested the ANYmal quadruped at the University of Basel’s Marslabor with a microscopic imager and Raman spectrometer.

The semi-autonomous robot moved between multiple rock targets on its own, identified relevant minerals and rock types, and finished science tasks faster than a traditional one-target rover.

The result suggests future Mars missions could study more targets in less time, with less reliance on slow Earth-based control.

That could improve the search for biosignatures and valuable resources on Mars.