Contemporary Planetary Robotics: An Approach Toward Autonomous Systems

For readers from both academia and industry wishing to pursue their studies and /or careers in planetary robotics, this book represents a one-stop tour of the history, evolution, key systems, and technologies of this emerging field.

The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the key techniques and technologies that help to achieve autonomous space systems for cost-effective, high performing planetary robotic missions. Main topics covered include robotic vision, surface navigation, manipulation, mission operations and autonomy, being explained in
both theoretical principles and practical use cases.

The book recognizes the importance of system design hence discusses practices and tools that help take mission concepts to baseline design solutions, making it a practical piece of scientific reference suited to a variety of practitioners in planetary robotics.

Yang Gao, FIET FRAeS, is the Professor of Space Autonomous Systems within Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom. She heads the Surrey Technology for Autonomous Systems and Robotics (STAR) Lab that specialises in autonomy & modeling, visual navigation, modern control theories, robot soil interaction and biomimetic mechanisms with applications to spacecraft and robots alike. She brings over sixteen years of R&D experience in solving robotic system problems, in which she have been a Principle Investigator of internationally teamed projects funded by European and UK research funding bodies as well as commercial companies. Prof. Gao is also actively involved in real world space mission development and championing the Surrey Low-cost Space Engineering Approach within missions like ExoMars, Proba3, LM1, LPSR, CABLE, MoonLITE, and Moonraker.