Zoë is a solar-powered autonomous

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

with sensors able to detect microorganisms and map the distribution of life in the

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert ( es, Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the ...

of northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, duplicating tasks that could be used in future exploration of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

. Zoë is equipped with tools and sensors to search for direct evidence of life beneath the surface of the ground. Zoë significantly aids in research needed to study Mars because it acts as a mobile observer and analyzer of any signs of life in a given location. She collects primary data which will help in understanding conditions present on

. This project will verify reliability of autonomous, mobile, and scientifically made robots.

Specifications

Zoë is a four-wheeled 220 kg

rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US ...

with dimensions of approximately 2.9m in length, 2.9m in width, and a height of 2m. It achieves a top speed of 1 m/s with a turning radius of 2.5m Zoë carries a 3.5m2 Solar Panel with a maximum power generation of 1600W which allows it to move, activate computers and sensors, and charges the batteries.

Tools and Sensors

Zoë carries a one-meter long drill on its back. The drill will collect soil samples underground which will then be analyzed by other tools on board. This drill is able to collect soil samples underground with a maximum depth of 80 cm below surface. Zoë carries the Mars Microbeam Raman Spectrometer which is able to identify specific types of minerals in the subsurface. Other instruments include the Bio IV Fluorescence Imager which indicates the amount of natural fluorescence in soil and rocks, and detects chlorophyll-based-life; a sample carousel, which is used to store samples and used to deliver drill shavings to other instruments on-board; a colored- panoramic imager on a tilt unit, which captures high-resolution photographs up to 1mm/pixel resolution; a visible/near infrared

Spectrometer A spectrometer () is a scientific instrument used to separate and measure spectral components of a physical phenomenon. Spectrometer is a broad term often used to describe instruments that measure a continuous variable of a phenomenon where the ...

, which transforms spectra to visible and near-infrared wavelengths; and includes environmental sensors which are able to detect weather conditions such as the temperature, humidity, wetness, and wind.

Functionality

* Solar powered * Sensors * Avoids rocks and slopes * Drives and steers

Life in the Atacama Desert

Zoë was placed in the driest Desert on earth, the

, which is also considered to be the most lifeless. Research on this habitat did not truly begin until interest rose for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

’s astrobiology program. With much similar aspects to Mars, the

was proven to be a proper imitation of

. With this realization, scientists and researchers are dedicating their time to examine every part of the desert in hopes of finding

microbial life A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

Expeditions

In the fall of 2004, a team of scientists accompanied Zoë on a two-month expedition in the Atacama Desert so she wouldn’t “drive off a cliff” Zoë was placed in the Atacama Desert in 2005 for its first field expedition. During its time there, it was able to map out any living organisms. In 2013, Zoë returned to the Desert with a meter-long drill to produce research of any existing microbial life beneath the Desert’s surface.

Team

Carnegie Mellon Field Robotics Center The Robotics Institute (RI) is a division of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. A June 2014 article in ''Robotics Business Review'' magazine calls it "the world's best rob ...

Nasa Ames Research Center The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

* Nasa Jet Propulsion Lab * The University of Tennessee Department of Geology * Universidad Catolica del Norte * Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation *

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

* Other: Raul Arias

References

Sources

Life in the Atacama

SETI Institute

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoe (Robot) Planetary rovers Solar-powered robots Four-wheeled robots Robots of the United States 2004 robots