1080pEELS: a snake robot for passages through ice
A segmented robot combines rotating screw propulsion with environmental mapping in ground tests on ice, snow, sand and glacier passages.
Ground prototypes and glacier testsRead case
TECHNICAL DIRECTION
Perception & localisation
Observe the environment and estimate shape, position and contact.
NASA/JPL-CaltechPUBLIC CASES
1080p
720pMiniature climbing robot with active compliance
A unified active-compliance mechanism adapts to varied surfaces, with visual-inspection tests inside a decommissioned engine.
Experiments and decommissioned-engine testsRead case
720pINSPECT: embedded optical probes through borescope ports
Retractable optical probes use borescope ports to observe adjacent compressor-blade edges during slow rotation.
Compressor-rig integration testsRead case
1080pSWARM: a concept for miniature inspection robots in engines
A proposed snake carrier would deploy and retrieve miniature crawlers to inspect surfaces beyond conventional borescope access.
System concept and locomotion prototypesRead case
720pSOLO: pipe inspection from a manhole
The tracked SOLO robot is deployed through a manhole to collect interior imagery for sewer assessment.
Manufacturer deployment demonstrationRead case
1080pPeripheral-airway navigation with a magnetic catheter
A 2.4 mm magnetic catheter integrates shape sensing and an optical fibre for peripheral-airway navigation and laser delivery.
Phantom and ex-vivo validationRead case
Snake robot in earthquake rubble
After the 2017 Mexico City earthquake, a snake robot provided camera views inside gaps inaccessible to conventional cameras.
Documented earthquake deploymentRead case
Elios 3Infrastructure
VideoElios 3: protected drone inspection in enclosed facilities
A protective cage, visual imaging and lidar support aerial inspection and spatial mapping inside enclosed facilities.
Manufacturer product demonstrationRead case
480pContact-aided continuum robot
Internal contact-aided compliant mechanisms improve a slender manipulator’s resistance to twisting and compression buckling.
Laboratory validationRead case
540pTAP: torque, angle and pressure for tactile feedback
Combined tactile measurements provide contact-state feedback for placement, stacking and cutting experiments without vision.
Manipulation experimentsRead case
VideoSpot: remote inspection in an operating converter station
Visual and thermal inspection in an energised valve hall inaccessible to personnel.
Used in site inspection routinesRead case
Spot: thermal and gauge inspections at a gas-fired power plant
Collecting heat-recovery steam-generator thermograms and temperature-gauge images across industrial stairs and platforms.
Power-plant field pilotRead case
Spot: from an industrial test site to a refinery
Trials at a simulated industrial site and Whiting refinery examined mobility through narrow passages, grating and stairs.
Industrial testing and field trialRead case
VideoANYmal X: multi-level inspection in a chemical plant
Field tests at BASF Ludwigshafen examined automated inspection of gauges, pumps and tanks.
Chemical-plant field testsRead case
RELL and Dextre: locating external ammonia leaks on the ISS
A robot-mounted gas detector surveys the station exterior for cooling-system leaks.
Documented orbital leak localisationRead case
VideoAtlas: autonomous handling of engine-cover parts
Moving parts between supplier containers and a sequencing dolly from a list of bin locations.
Manufacturer hardware demonstrationRead case
GR00T N1: bimanual humanoid manipulation
Studying pick-and-place, handovers and bimanual coordination with hardware demonstrations, simulation and task-specific adaptation.
Model and hardware manipulation experimentsRead case
1080pGemini Robotics: coordinating whole-body movement
An official whole-body demonstration shows a robot carrying a container while moving, linking instruction understanding with execution.
Official model demonstrationRead case
JOURNAL
Field-record notePerception & localisation
The next move beneath the ice
EELS brings locomotion, mapping and risk assessment into a single exploration task.
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