In December,
NASA took another small, incremental step towards autonomous surface
rovers. In a demonstration, the Perseverance team
used AI to generate the rover’s waypoints. Perseverance used the AI waypoints on two separate days, traveling a total of 456 meters without human control.
“This demonstration shows how far our capabilities have advanced and broadens how we will explore other worlds,” said NASA Administrator
Jared Isaacman. “Autonomous technologies like this can help missions to operate more efficiently, respond to challenging terrain, and increase science return as distance from Earth grows. It’s a strong example of teams applying new technology carefully and responsibly in real operations.”
