Reconfigurable Exploratory Robotic Vehicles

A family of rugged, modular, reconfigurable, instrumented robotic vehicles has been proposed for use in exploration of the surfaces of Mars and other remote planets. These or similar vehicles could also be useful in such diverse terrestrial applications as exploration of volcanic craters or other hostile terrain, military reconnaissance, inspection of hazardous sites, or searching for victims of earthquakes, landslides, or avalanches. There might even be a market for simplified versions of these vehicles as toys.