Element Robotics

Australia. We are going to the moon! 🚀🌙 Element Robotics is absolutely thrilled to be a partner in the ELO2 consortium, taking Australia to the Moon under the Australian Space Agency Moon to Mars Trailblazer program! It’s an incredible honor to be part of this groundbreaking project, pushing the boundaries of technology and inspiring all of Australia to dream big! We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the entire ELO2 consortium for the dedication, focus and commitment during stage 1. Our collective effort has brought us the opportunity of a lifetime! A special shoutout to Ben Sorensen and Joseph Kenrick the codirectors of our consortium, they have done a phenomenal job of pulling together the best team to take Australia to the Moon! 🇦🇺 At Element Robotics, we’re passionate about building the future of autonomous systems for space exploration. During Stage 1 of the program, we successfully established the foundation for the rover’s autonomous capabilities, highlighting our expertise and enabling the consortium to demonstrate cutting-edge technological advancements. The road ahead is exciting, and we can’t wait to see what we achieve together as we help shape Australia’s lunar legacy. Let’s go to the Moon – and beyond! 🚀🇦🇺🌙 #ELO2 #AustraliaToTheMoon #ROOver #ASA #SpaceExploration #rover

One of the toughest challenges in building autonomous navigation systems for the Moon is mapping. While there's been extensive research into mobile robots in structured environments like warehouses, and we see autonomous cars navigating city streets, surprisingly few solutions exist for 3D mapping of off-road, unstructured terrain—especially when it needs to run on a small, low-power computer fit for a space mission. At Element Robotics, we build autonomous navigation systems for the Moon. Reliable 3D mapping is key. Our team is exploring several techniques, including Probabilistic Terrain Mapping for Mobile Robots with Uncertain Localization, originally developed by ANYbotics for legged robots. We are excited to test how this approach works for a wheeled rover and assess its viability on the low-power computing used for space missions. The first major milestone has been an initial upgrade to ROS2, which you can check see in the attached video. Next up, we'll be integrating it with NAV2 to streamline testing and evaluation. #ROS2 #LunarNavigation #AutonomousMapping #SpaceTech #NAV2

Understanding how autonomous navigation algorithms perform is key to refining them. That’s why we are creating streamlined visualization tools to assess navigation performance, both during real-time operations and in post-test analysis. This week, we’ve been testing our software's ability to autonomously navigate to random goal locations, complete a task (inspired by lunar missions!). In simulation, we can run hundreds of iterations, allowing us to identify both strengths and potential bugs quickly and efficiently. Performance testing may not always sound glamorous, but it’s an essential foundation for building reliable autonomous systems—and we’ve made it exciting too! 💡 Kudos to the team for transforming some complex data into an actionable and engaging interface. #autonomy #lunar #simulation #rovers #ROOver

Building autonomous robots for the Moon is a huge challenge. Replicating the harsh lunar environment here on Earth is very hard to do (its expensive and requires lots of time). Simulation is key. In the next few years, we will see more and more robots headed to the moon including Australia's’ very own #Roover. These robots will need to be tested for thousands of hours in simulation. Not only to verify software, but also to build operations procedures and rehearse missions. This week at Element Robotics we have been hard at work developing our simulation platform. We used real images of the surface of the Moon taken from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and 3D models of rocks collected during the Apollo missions to replicate the Moon’s surface. We’re using this sim to rigorously test our autonomous navigation software in a realistic lunar environment. What's next? We're working on making it look more realistic. ELO2, Australian Space Agency, Ben Sorensen Joseph Kenrick,

Australia now builds lunar rovers. This morning at the The Andy Thomas Space Foundation Forum in #Adelaide I provided an overview of the outcomes ELO2 Consortium has delivered for Australia thanks to grant funding from the Australian Space Agency. ELO2 is a national mission: A collaboration of the best researchers and engineers from industry and research across the country who share a common purpose to build an Australian lunar rover and run a mission on the moon. No one in Australia has done this before. No one organisation can do it without collaboration. And we need to partner to go far together. It was a privilege to represent the great work of our talented contributors and how they are delivering impact for the country. Joseph Kenrick Robbie Wild Kathie van Vugt Dr Catherine Grace, (MBBS) Matt Opie John C. Miles Davies Anton Middelberg FTSE FNAI Jessica Gallagher Warwick Penrose Justin Cyrus University of Adelaide RMIT University University of Melbourne The Australian National University Element Robotics Inovor Technologies One Giant Leap Australia Foundation Vipac Engineers & Scientists Titomic BHP Kealy Kenrick Narelle Hoffman Lunar Outpost EPE. Trusted To Protect

Awesome to see ELO2 Consortium team members and our Australian-made lunar rover prototypes in this new Moon to Mars Trailblazer piece from the Australian Space Agency! We filmed some of this back in March when we were testing at partner University of Adelaide's EXTERRES Lab. ELO2 has produced four lunar rover prototypes here in Australia. They're designed and built by our team who are the best in their field from across the country, and we have been testing the prototypes to improve the design we propose to be Australia's rover. It's a national mission. Also interviewed in the video are a couple of our young engineers Siena Zubcic and William De La Rue from our co-lead Lunar Outpost, and Saksham K. from partner Element Robotics. Katie Doyle, Robbie Wild, Sam Cleary and Jory Braun are also in focus, along with a couple of our prototypes. And that's just a fraction of the team, with almost 50 people contributing from our consortium partners over the last 14 months to deliver a design fit for the mission. It's a privilege to be part of such a great team and have the opportunity to contribute to something to make all Australians proud. EPE. Trusted To Protect RMIT University University of Melbourne The Australian National University Inovor Technologies One Giant Leap Australia Foundation Titomic Vipac Engineers & Scientists BHP Northrop Grumman Australia Joseph Kenrick Kealy Kenrick Warwick Penrose Narelle Hoffman John C. Miles Davies Michael Goodsite Anton Middelberg FTSE FNAI Jessica Gallagher Gill Stuart Tenzin Crouch Michele Trenti Matthew Tetlow Jackie Carpenter Justin Cyrus Eduardo Trifoni Anna Moore Keegan Buzza #space #spaceindustry #science #adelaide

Building a rover to go to the Moon requires all manner of skills and capabilities. Whilst the ELO2 Consortium is developing leading edge technologies for space, it brings together talent from a broad range of disciplines, not just STEM professionals. The ELO₂ team's success is due to Consortium members' ability to share knowledge and welcome transferrable skills, enabling people from outside STEM disciplines or the space industry to launch their space careers through the Australian Space Agency's Moon to Mars Trailblazer Program. Beyond our unquestionably talented pool of engineers, scientists and researchers, the ELO₂ team also enjoys the expertise of: - educators and communicators, to help bring the Australian community on the journey with us - administrators, coordinators and project managers, who know how to make things happen and keep activities on track - business development specialists and those who can commercialise technology, so we are not reliant on grant funding, and - business managers and governance professionals to ensure effective leadership and oversight. In future, we foresee a myriad more non-STEM skills needed to support our terrestrial and space missions. So, if you've never dreamed of a career in space - maybe you should! #TransferrableSkills #CareersInSpace #SpaceForEveryone #Moon #Rover #ROOver #GDayMoon #Trailblazer #MoonToMars #ELO2 . . . EPE. Trusted To Protect, Lunar Outpost, BHP, Northrop Grumman Australia, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, University of Adelaide, Inovor Technologies, Element Robotics, Colorado School of Mines, ANU Institute for Space | InSpace, Titomic, Vipac Engineers & Scientists, One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, CD3D

#AustralianMade - your tax dollars are staying on-shore, supporting Aussie jobs and building the Australian space industry. The Australian Space Agency's Moon To Mars Trailblazer Program is Commonwealth-funded, which means we are all invested in this historic mission, and ELO2, the Grantees, are obliged to demonstrate the value provided by this grant funding on the Australian space sector. Validating Trailblazer's success is not just about the rover (named Roo-ver by the Australian public) and, although a lunar rover is obviously the nexus of this mission, the grant Program is also designed to: - Have a positive impact on the development of the Australian space ecosystem, and generate direct and/or indirect employment growth, - Bring strategic value, investment in Australian capability, commercial investment and skillsets to the Australian space sector, and - Inspire the nation, and the Australian space industry. Not only is ELO₂ developing a rover that could journey to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis Program, but our Consortium is also growing the Australian economy and building our nation's economic complexity by: - Fostering home-grown innovation, - Driving transformative change in robotics technologies based on Australian innovations, - Expanding commercial capacity of Australian space and robotics-related businesses, - Fortifying Australian workforce skills, - Attracting world-leading talent into (or to return to) Australia, including those wishing to study or collaborate with Australian research institutions - Unlocking industry-leading technology research with significant export potential, and - Cultivating a collaborative supply chain ecosystem in Australia to enhance Australia’s technological sovereignty and self-sufficiency. As such, ELO₂'s influence and impact will extend well beyond the immediate scope of the Trailblazer rover project and will have an enduring benefit of technological advancement for Australia. #Moon #Rover #ROOver #GDayMoon #Trailblazer #MoonToMars #ELO2 #Space #SpaceInnovation . . . EPE. Trusted To Protect, Lunar Outpost, BHP, Northrop Grumman Australia, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, University of Adelaide, Inovor Technologies, Element Robotics, Colorado School of Mines, ANU Institute for Space | InSpace, Titomic, Vipac Engineers & Scientists, One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, CD3D

"𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳, 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳." This week the ELO2 Consortium hands to the Australian Space Agency a rigorously tested design for Australia's first lunar rover. ELO2 Consortium's innovative team have delivered four lunar rover prototypes in a 12 month period. These have been designed, manufactured and tested here in Australia with the collaborative effort of around fifty of Australia's most talented scientists and engineers. Australia's unique environmental challenges have helped it become a world leader in 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀. The Moon to Mars Trailblazer Program has enabled ELO2 to bring the best of of Australia's expert and creative teams from universities and industry to further advance that leadership for terrestrial and space domains. Our team's experts come from disciplines including #space, #robotics, radiation protection, thermal protection, edge #computing, #renewable #power generation and management, #materials science, #lunar robotics, #sensing, GPS-denied #navigation, #artificialintelligence, #autonomoussystems, #mining and #resources, additive #manufacturing, human-machine teaming, #communications, #education, marketing, #innovation, #commercialisation and #strategy. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬. Some key outcomes delivered by ELO2 for Australia since April 2023: 1. Creation of around 20 new full time jobs, mainly for young engineers 2. Generated over $1M in Foreign Direct Investment into Australia, growing the economy 3. Spent around 99% of our budget in Australia, with Australian organisations 4. We've started commercialising the new technologies into Australian industries including #mining and #defence 5. We demonstrated our prototype performing mission operations in regional South Australia while being operated remotely from Colorado USA. As ELO2 Consortium Director and on behalf of EPE. Trusted To Protect I would like to congratulate everyone who has supported and contributed to our team's outcomes, and thank the Australian Space Agency for enabling the activities with their funding. Thanks especially to Technical Director Joseph Kenrick and our co-lead team at Lunar Outpost, and effort and investment of consortium partners Element Robotics, University of Adelaide, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, The Australian National University, Colorado School of Mines, Inovor Technologies, One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, Vipac Engineers & Scientists, Titomic, BHP, Northrop Grumman Australia. Kealy Narelle Henry Ian Warwick Justin Andrew Austin Kathie Robbie Jacob Rob Adam John Miles Jessica Sam Keegan Department of Industry, Science and Resources

How Will a Small Rover Transform Moon Exploration?⁠  ⁠ Can a 20-kilogram rover revolutionise lunar missions? Enter Roo-ver, a state-of-the-art rover designed to explore the lunar south pole and collect lunar regolith (Moon soil) samples as part of a joint Australian Space Agency and NASA mission, aiding resource utilisation on the Moon.⁠  ⁠ ELO2 is designing what could become this innovative rover. Roo-ver will survey, collect, transport, and deposit lunar regolith, becoming more autonomous with each cycle. This Aussie rover, roughly the size of an esky, will help inform future in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) planning and missions for NASA’s Artemis program. This collaboration highlights the strong partnership between Australia and the United States in space exploration.⁠  ⁠ Stay tuned for design and mission updates from ELO₂ as we work towards this groundbreaking mission!⁠ ⁠ #Moon #Rover #ROOver #GDayMoon #Trailblazer #MoonToMars #ELO2 #Space #SpaceInnovation #AustralianMade ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ EPE. Trusted To Protect, Lunar Outpost, BHP, Northrop Grumman Australia, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, University of Adelaide, Inovor Technologies, Element Robotics, Colorado School of Mines, ANU Institute for Space | InSpace, Titomic, Vipac Engineers & Scientists, One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, CD3D, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration