This is Olympus, the robot dog that could explore Mars alongside NASA's Perseverance rover.

Mars is the most coveted planet by space agencies, such as NASA, but also by tech entrepreneurs, such as Elon Musk. The reason it's the most coveted planet is due to a combination of scientific and technological factors, whether it's the search for visas, the understanding of planetary evolution, and the expansion of humanity. Musk already imagines what life on Mars will be like , and he has even announced the year in which we will travel to the red planet with nuclear-powered rockets. However, beyond human life, if we delve into what elements will be necessary to investigate the surface, it's important to mention that the European Space Agency's Olympus robot dog will be able to explore Mars .

This robotic quadruped is designed to operate in low-gravity environments and, recently, according to space.com , has demonstrated its ability to stabilize itself, jump over obstacles and adapt to terrains that pose a real challenge for rovers , such as NASA's Perseverance .

The device, developed by researcher Jørgen Anker Olsen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, consists of a system of double-articulated legs that end in a padded surface. Thanks to its design, Olympus offers additional traction and can explore places that are difficult for other exploration equipment to access.

First tests passed

The first Olympus tests took place at the ORBIT facility in the Netherlands, where the microgravity conditions of Mars are simulated using floating platforms on a millimeter-precise floor. Furthermore, as reported by the aforementioned newspaper, the robot dog was placed upside down on one of the platforms to simulate an environment with a gravity equivalent to 38% of Earth's.

Surprisingly, Olympus used its AI reinforcement learning system to perfect its movements, enabling it to correct its posture and perform controlled jumps until it landed securely on all four legs.

Jørgen Anker Olsen states on the ESA blog that "this setup, with Olympus attached to one of the floating platforms, allows the full range of motion of the legs to be tested ." He adds that, "During one of the tests, Olympus was able to move from wall to wall, reorienting itself after each jump to always land on all four legs."

Future uses

Jørgen Anker Olsen points out that one potential application for robots like Olympus is the exploration of Mars: " It could easily move across the planet's surface , as well as explore its depths, for example, into Martian lava vents, volcanic caverns that would be too dangerous for flying probes to explore." Furthermore, legged robots can jump over obstacles that would be too difficult for wheeled robots.

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