TALK ABSTRACT:
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NASA's new Exploration Initiative is a systematic approach to
opening up the Solar System by exploration and development.  Robotic
systems play major roles, for exploration and pathfinding, as well as
supporting roles for logistics or subsystems for crewed missions.
Advanced computing will play an increasingly crucial role as more
demands are placed on these systems.  Modeling, artificial intelligence,
supercomputing, non-von Neumann computing, and other technologies will
help provide adaptable, flexible systems capable of dealing with
dynamic, irregular, and complex environments, both natural and
artificial, into which our spacecraft and planetary rovers will be
deployed.  In this talk, we will describe technologies, architectures,
and concepts being developed at NASA/GSFC to make resilient and mobile
systems that are at home in exotic and dangerous locations throughout
the Solar System.  We will discuss control and structural technologies
such as Addressable Reconfigurable Technology and the Tetrahedral Walker
in the context of Exploration Missions to planetary surfaces.  We will
also discuss the important role that autonomy plays in such missions,
and our own strategies for developing fully autonomous systems.