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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Lisa Townsend (818) 393-5464
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.                          
July 11, 2003

News Release: 2003-098

Meet the Humans Behind the Robots

From investigating abandoned buildings to charting the hazardous
terrain of Mars, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif., design robots able to confront risky environments
on Earth and elsewhere in the universe.  Two free lectures on the
topic will be held on Thursday, July 17, at JPL, and Friday, July 18,
at Pasadena City College.
 
Robert Hogg and Brett Kennedy, robotics engineers and rover task
managers for JPL's Mobility Systems Concept Development Section, will
highlight three research robots at the lectures:  the Micro-Robot
Explorer, the Urban Robot, and the Limbed Excursion Mechanical
Utility Robot.

The Micro-Robot Explorer, nicknamed "Spider-bot," fits in the palm of
a hand and has six legs, which may enable it to explore environments
that wheeled rovers cannot.  In large numbers, Spider-bots may
potentially act as a wireless sensor web, with each robot sending
sensor data to a base station that will record and relay the data to
waiting scientists.

The JPL Urban Robot, or "Urbie," can autonomously navigate itself
through unfamiliar terrain.  It climbs over barriers, drives up
stairs and, should it land upside down, flips itself over.  Urbie
also has a twin set of eye-like cameras that provide stereoscopic
vision, the perception to avoid obstacles in its path.

The Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot, nicknamed "Lemur,"
also has six legs and is designed to perform dexterous small-scale
assembly, inspection and maintenance of large space facilities. 
Engineers describe Lemur as the robotic, six-limbed primate with
"Swiss Army knife tendencies."

Both free lectures are open to the public and begin at 7 p.m.
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The lecture at JPL,
located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, off the Oak Grove Drive
exit of the 210 (Foothill) Freeway, will be held in the von Karman
Auditorium. The Friday lecture will be in Pasadena City College's
Vosloh Forum, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.  For more information, call
(818) 354-0112 or go to
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/jul03.html , where the
Thursday lecture will be webcast live and archived for later
viewing.

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