Missions such as the Ingenuity helicopter have shown the advantages of using novel locomotion modes to increase the scientific return of planetary exploration missions. Legged robots can further expand the reach and capability of future planetary missions by traversing more difficult terrain than wheeled rovers, such as jumping over cracks on the ground or traversing rugged terrain with boulders. To develop and test algorithms for using quadruped robots, the AAPLE project was carried out at DFKI. As part of the project, we conducted a series of field experiments on the Volcano on the Aeolian island of Vulcano, an active stratovolcano near Sicily, Italy. The experiments focused on validating newly developed state-of-the-art adaptive optimal control algorithms for quadrupedal locomotion in a high-fidelity analog environment for Lunar and Martian surfaces. This paper presents the technical approach, test plan, software architecture, field deployment strategy, and evaluation results from the Vulcano campaign.

翻译：诸如“机智号”直升机等任务已证明，采用新型运动模式可提升行星探测任务科学回报的优势。与轮式漫游车相比，足式机器人能够穿越更复杂的地形（例如跃过地表裂隙或在布满巨石的崎岖地带行进），从而进一步拓展未来行星探测任务的覆盖范围与能力。为开发并测试四足机器人应用算法，德国人工智能研究中心（DFKI）开展了AAPLE项目。作为项目组成部分，我们在意大利西西里岛附近的活火山——武尔卡诺岛埃奥利亚火山——开展了一系列实地实验。实验重点在于月球与火星表面高保真模拟环境中，验证新开发的最优自适应控制算法在四足运动控制中的性能。本文阐述了武尔卡诺火山实验的技术方案、测试计划、软件架构、实地部署策略及评估结果。