NASA researcher visits project partners in the UZH drone lab

Jeff Delaune, robotics specialist in the Arial Mobility Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is currently visiting UZH, according to a press release. His laboratory and the Robotics and Perception Group at UZH have been working together since 2020 for the Mars Science Helicopter Mission 2030. Together, they want to help explore new areas on Mars. To this end, they are developing drone technology to replace the first Mars helicopter, Ingenuity. In addition to meetings with project partners, Delaune will give a talk titled Robotics Challenges for Planetary Exploration at NASA JPL on December 5, 2025 at 4:15 p.m.

Ingenuity was the first powered autonomous aircraft on another planet and was able to carry out exploratory flights in the thin Martian atmosphere for three years. Its mission ended in January 2024 with at least one rotor blade damaged during landing.

As UZH group leader Davide Scaramuzza explains, the UZH group is contributing "two important innovations to the mission, namely advanced navigation algorithms and event camera technology". The latter was invented by UZH professor Tobi Delbruck. It works in a similar way to the human eye and is ideal for exploring the dark and complex interiors of lava tubes on Mars.

The advanced navigation algorithms enable the helicopter to precisely determine its position in uneven, unpredictable terrain without GPS. According to UZH, this is "a decisive step for the autonomous exploration of Mars". According to Scaramuzza, this will not only provide information about the geological history of Mars, "but will also be of crucial importance for future manned missions". ce/mm