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Automated Systems, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence: Question 10

Syllabus 6.2

Multiple choice 1 mark

Space agencies send wheeled robot rovers, rather than astronauts, to explore the surface of Mars and collect samples of rock and soil. The rover carries sensors, a microprocessor and actuators, and is programmed with new instructions from Earth as each mission continues.

Which of the following is the strongest reason a robot rover, rather than a human astronaut, is used for this task?

Choose an answer to check it, then compare with the worked solution below.
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Worked solution

Step 1: Recall why robots are used in some applications

One key reason robots, rather than humans, are used for certain tasks is that they can be sent into environments that are dangerous, physically inaccessible, or otherwise unsurvivable for a human, examples include the deep ocean, inside a nuclear reactor, a site being checked for a bomb, and the surface of another planet.

Step 2: Apply this to the Mars rover scenario

Mars currently has no breathable atmosphere, extreme temperature swings and high radiation levels, and getting a human there and back safely is far beyond what is currently possible. A robot rover has none of these survival requirements, so it can be sent to explore the surface and collect samples in a way no human currently can.

Step 3: Why the other options are wrong

  • A: robots are not “completely unaffected” by damage. Extreme cold, dust storms or a mechanical fault can and do damage a rover’s components, exactly as they would threaten equipment used by a human.
  • C: a rover’s sensors, microprocessor and actuators all need a continuous electrical supply (for example from solar panels) to keep working; it does not become power-free once it lands.
  • D: a rover must be programmed with instructions and behaviours before its mission, and is typically given new instructions from Earth as the mission continues, so it is not sent without programming.

Final answer

  • The strongest reason is that a robot can be sent into an environment currently hazardous or impossible for a human, option B.