To Boldly Go Where No Robots Have Gone Before – Part 2: The Versatile Mobility of the EELS Robot for Robustly Exploring Unknown Environments

JPL has developed a snake-like robot concept called Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) that applies a highly versatile mobility architecture and intelligent risk-aware autonomy towards exploration of unknown and uncertain environments in the solar system, such as the vents of Enceladus. The first instantiation of the EELS robot concept is called EELS 1.0, a modular snake-like robot with shape control through high degree of freedom articulation and screw-based active skin propulsion. This paper outlines the design of the EELS system and provides preliminary results of surface mobility experiments using the hardware system and autonomy software in laboratory and field settings. Through these experiments aspects of the hardware design's versatility were demonstrated through successful short traverses through terrains with varied topography and material properties. Implementation challenges related to the unique hardware architecture and their resolutions are outlined. Limitations of the EELS hardware system and avenues for further development are also discussed.