Objective The goal of the FASTER project is to address three key technology developments for planetary exploration: forward looking surface properties characterisation, innovative locomotion system for a scout type rover, and collaborative operation of a mother/scout pair. 1.) The project will develop methods and instrumentation to characterise the properties of planetary surfaces in which robotic rover vehicles operate to be able to anticipate hazards in advance of locomotion and navigation over that surface. By assessing the soil trafficability for a rover, decisions affecting rover safety (avoiding becoming stuck) can be reliably taken and hazards avoided. 2.) The project will look at what innovation can be applied to ensure that the scout rover is able to operate with minimal risk of encountering hazardous situations from which it must recover. 3.) FASTER will explore the feasibility and performance of a mother/scout rover pair combination and develop methods to achieve successful collaborative and autonomous robot operation. The forward looking scout rover will be equipped with a special combination of sensor technologies to acquire soil and terrain information. This information will allow a risk model to be constructed that indicates the potential hazards that the terrain represents to the following mother rover. Reducing the locomotion and traverse risks using the proposed advances in autonomous mother / scout collaboration will allow mission operators to explore planetary surfaces with increased safety. It will make possible new levels of autonomous operations by significantly reducing the greatest uncertainty factor – namely properties of the surface material on which the rover must operate. This will lead to increased operational efficiency and, when coupled with the increased richness of the surface properties data, will lead to much higher scientific returns per capital investment for each mission. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesplanetary geologyengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticsautonomous robotsengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors Programme(s) FP7-SPACE - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Space Topic(s) SPA.2011.2.1-02 - Research and development for space exploration Call for proposal FP7-SPACE-2011-1 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme CP-FP - Small or medium-scale focused research project Coordinator DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUR KUNSTLICHE INTELLIGENZ GMBH EU contribution € 531 000,00 Address TRIPPSTADTER STRASSE 122 67663 Kaiserslautern Germany See on map Region Rheinland-Pfalz Rheinhessen-Pfalz Kaiserslautern, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Thomas Vögele (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (5) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITY OF SURREY United Kingdom EU contribution € 503 005,05 Address Stag Hill GU2 7XH Guildford See on map Region South East (England) Surrey, East and West Sussex West Surrey Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Maria Sega-Buhalis (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE LTD United Kingdom EU contribution € 113 223,13 Address GUNNELS WOOD ROAD SG1 2AS Stevenage See on map Region East of England Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Hertfordshire Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Matthew Stuttard (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data SPACE APPLICATIONS SERVICES NV Belgium EU contribution € 361 718,44 Address LEUVENSESTEENWEG 325 1932 Zaventem See on map Region Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Halle-Vilvoorde Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Francoise Glinne (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data LIQUIFER SYSTEMS GROUP GMBH Austria EU contribution € 260 295,00 Address OBERE DONAUSTRASSE 97-99 1 62 1020 Vienna See on map Region Ostösterreich Wien Wien Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Barbara Imhof (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data ASTRI POLSKA SPOLKA Z OGRANICZONA ODPOWIEDZIALNOSCIA Poland EU contribution € 216 300,00 Address ULICA BARTYCKA 18A 00716 Warszawa See on map Region Makroregion województwo mazowieckie Warszawski stołeczny Miasto Warszawa Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Agata Jozwicka (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data