JAKARTA - Perseverance, a NASA explorer robot, can now determine the location of exploration independently on Mars. This can be done thanks to new navigation technology implemented by NASA.
The technology developed over the past few years can determine the exact location of the rover without the need for assistance from operators on Earth. This advanced innovation is called Mars Global Localization.
The technology was officially used in the Perseverance's regular mission starting in early February. Before using the technology, Perseverance needed daily instructions from humans to know the exploration coordinates in the rocky Martian desert.
Now, Perseverance works more independently thanks to an intelligent algorithm system that compares panoramic images from the camera with the already installed orbit terrain map. This location determination process takes about two minutes.
NASA said its accuracy level reached 25 centimeters. This technology utilizes an advanced processor previously used by NASA technicians to communicate with the Mars Ingenuity helicopter.
During its years of exploring Mars, Perseverance's main obstacle was position uncertainty due to small errors in wheel tracking or visual odometry. As a result, Perseverance often stopped its journey.
If the rover feels its position is too far off from the targeted location, the safety system will automatically stop the journey to avoid danger. This is no longer the case after NASA used Mars Global Localization.
Perseverance no longer needs to send images to Earth and wait a full day for confirmation of the location. The robot can process data independently and continue on to the next scientific target faster.
To ensure its algorithms remain accurate in the Martian environment, NASA's development team implements a 'sanity check' system periodically. This system successfully overcame the small memory constraint so that the processor continues to work stably.
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