For the test, the robot will talk to a repeater station located on a hill, which in turn relays the signal to a truckborne satellite ground terminal with a Ku-band dish. Nomad also demonstrates new visual-position estimation technology that uses panoramic skyline images to determine position on an existing terrain map. Traditional robotic teleoperation requires a human to identify and avoid obstacles as well as to provide a continuous communications link. Nomad's onboard navigation sensors and computing enable it to reason around obstacles and navigate in reduced communication areas without operator assistance. The vast distance and inherent communication delays in planetary exploration present a fundamental technical barrier to direct teleoperation of planetary robots.
Autonomous operation permits the robot to avoid delays caused by transmission delays.
When the kid tries to drive it off a cliff, it will stop itself. Nomad autonomously distinguishes between safe and dangerous routes, using onboard sensors and computing power. Nearby obstacles are discovered and mapped using stereo cameras and laser scanner, and registered using onboard position estimation. The local terrain map is revised every second. This novel event may portend an entirely new type of entertainment that might even help fund future science missions to other worlds.