The Space Robotics Lab

Autonomy in planetary exploration is nowadays in the spotlight since space agencies are preparing different missions to place rovers in other planets and satellites. Although autonomy has been widely researched for terrestrial applications, it remains to be fully adapted to rovers. To solve this issue, the space robotics team from the University of Malaga arises as a spin-off within the Robotics and Mechatronics research group, which has demonstrated wide experience in field robotics and manipulation. Recent activities, in collaboration with ESA, have supported the development of a path and motion planning methods for planetary exploration.

The Space Robotics Lab is led by Carlos Pérez del Pulgar, and it belongs to the research group on Systems Engineering and Automation, and the Institute of Mechatronics and Cyber-Physical Systems, both at the University of Málaga. It is made up of different faculty members, students and research support staff.

Our mission is to research and develop novel methods and techniques that help to increase autonomy in space robotics, covering both planetary and in-orbit scenarios. This research takes advantage of earth to space technology adaptation and vice-versa. Moreover, the aim of the lab is to train future engineers in the field of space robotics, taking students from the Industrial Engineering faculty at UMA to carry out internships and dissertation works in this topic. Most of our projects are carried in collaboration with other research institutions through joint projects, or via technology transfer contract with companies and research organizations.