Curiosity Goes Autonomous For the First Time 32
Zothecula writes "NASA took the metaphorical training wheels off the Mars rover Curiosity on Tuesday, as the unmanned explorer took its first drive using autonomous navigation. It used its onboard cameras and software to select and drive over an area of ground that mission control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California couldn't see and vet beforehand. This capability allows the nuclear-powered rover to negotiate the most direct route to Mount Sharp rather than having to detour to find routes that can be seen directly by Curiosity before entering, so they can be analyzed by mission control."
Without human input... (Score:5, Interesting)
I hope it doesn't encounter any Martian felines (Score:5, Funny)
Because we all know what Curiosity does to cats.
Re:I hope it doesn't encounter any Martian felines (Score:5, Funny)
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Because we all know what Curiosity does to cats.
Yes, but curiosity is a rover.
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Yes, but curiosity is a rover.
It's a dog, then?
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Sells them to Schrodinger......or not.
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Well, I wish that the Chinese ladies at the PCB manufacturer stopped using stripper names.
Somehow it doesn't feel right to be informed that "Candy" was looking for me regarding a purchase.
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might we be able to find out what makes Curiosity... curious?
First autonomy, then rebellion.
Hey! (Score:5, Funny)
Run for the hills my martian brethren! (Score:5, Interesting)
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I'll believe it when I hear the late-breaking news from the Council.
But how will it interact with other traffic? (Score:2)
And what if it's going the wrong way across a bridge?
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And what if it's going the wrong way across a bridge?
TomTom will recalculate its route. Hopefully NASA payed for the updated maps.
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And what if it's going the wrong way across a bridge?
What's the wrong way to cross a bridge? Sideways?
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Well, it could drive up the suspension cables or something [al.com]
An Earth Projection? (Score:2)
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Right, I want a car that stops periodically to take pictures before driving at walking speed over any perceived obstacle.
Re:An Earth Projection? (Score:5, Funny)
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Well, yes, that's a true statement, although neither of those are realistic options for a city vehicle. There is other work being done on self-driving cars that does not require them to slow down or stop to take pictures and allows them to drive safely at speed. There was an article about work that Nissan is doing just yesterday, and Google's cars have been in the news as well. The point is that the work being done on the rover meets completely different requirements than what are needed for cars that dr
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Right, I want a car that stops periodically to take pictures before driving at walking speed over any perceived obstacle.
That has far more to do with a power budget of 125 watts (2.5 kWh/day) to move 899 kg than a limitation in the autonomous functions. Compare that to say a Tesla Model S with a 85 kWh battery, it uses less power in a month than the Model S on a single charge and it's also got lots of scientific equipment to power as well. Build some supercharger stations on Mars and we'll see entirely different speeds.
Terminators On Mars (Score:2)
Glad to see we've finally unleashed the terminators on Mars!
Just... (Score:1)
Just a little robot, minding It's own business, making decisions on It's own on another planet millions and millions of miles away....
It's nothing short of simply mindblowing, the stuff I used to read and dream about as a kid...
Sounds like a good idea (Score:2)
NOW there is life on Mars. (Score:2)