Case Study: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory explores Martian-like caves autonomously with Boston Dynamics Spot

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Customer Case Study

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) faced the challenge of autonomously exploring potentially hazardous, unmapped Martian-like caves in the search for signs of extraterrestrial life. The mission required a highly stable, mobile robot capable of traversing difficult terrain while carrying multiple scientific instruments, a combination of capabilities that was difficult to find. To address this, JPL partnered with Boston Dynamics.

JPL integrated its own NeBula autonomy and AI system with Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot to create a multi-robot team. This solution enabled Spot to autonomously explore hundreds of meters of cave, creating 3D maps and identifying scientifically interesting features. The legged mobility of Spot proved essential, accessing areas impossible for wheeled or tracked robots. This successful demonstration by Boston Dynamics and JPL is a significant step towards deploying such technology for planetary exploration and Earth-based search and rescue operations.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Ali Agha

Project Lead