Concentrated silence reigned in the Mars laboratory of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen as the connection to the International Space Station (ISS) was established and the 'Surface Avatar' experiment was launched. Swedish ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt commanded the first of a total of three robots in the terrestrial Mars laboratory from the Columbus module. In addition to the experiments in July 2023, the developers tested how the time delay in particular affects the control of robots on space missions. In the future, collaborative, intelligent robots will support space travelers on exploration missions to the moon or Mars.

The research team is developing innovative technologies that allow a human to control several robots sensitively on their own, to have them act partially or fully autonomously and to have different robots perform a task together. The 'Surface Avatar' project is being led by the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics and is being carried out in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Space Operations Center (GSOC).

World premiere in telerobotics

In the new and more complex experiment setup, the four-legged DLR robot Bert joined the team for the first time, marking a world premiere in telerobotics: until now, only wheel-driven robots have been remote-controlled by astronauts from space, but Bert is capable of several types of gait. Thanks to his leg-based locomotion, he can explore rough terrain, including small caves, which his rolling teammates cannot reach. ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt therefore had the four-legged friend scout out the surroundings and monitor the terrain with his camera eyes. With Bert's 'running' information in the background, Wandt turned his attention to the other robots: DLR's humanoid service robot Rollin' Justin and ESA's Interact Rover.

When different robots form a team and have to successfully complete a task together, this is a particular challenge. For the construction of a habitat, for example, it is very helpful to combine the different capabilities of several robots. In the first experiment of its kind, DLR's humanoid robot Rollin' Justin and ESA's Interact Rover mastered their task and jointly installed a short tube that depicts a scientific measuring device. Under the command of astronaut Wandt, Rollin' Justin used its hands to safely grasp the tube and maneuver it to the measuring point. Wandt then used the Interact Rover's remote control to install the tube held in place by Justin.

Cutting-edge space research

"Future lunar and Martian stations, including the habitats for astronauts, will be built and maintained by robots acting under the guidance of space travelers. Our latest control and AI algorithms enable a single person to command an entire team of different robots," says Prof. Alin Albu-Schäffer, Director of the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics.

So that the researchers could concentrate on the scientific tasks and maintenance scenarios performed by the robot team during the two and a half hours, the Columbus Control Center in Oberpfaffenhofen kept an eye on the other activities on board the ISS and ensured reliable operation. Surface Avatar' is one of a total of ten German experiments that ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt is conducting as part of his Axiom Space Mission Muninn.