Helelani is a 700 lb. planetary rover with a suite of cameras and instruments. The rover is developed and maintained by PISCES at UH Hilo.
Last month, we were thrilled to be part of the Moon Village Association (MVA) international tele-robotics event in honor of International Moon Day. On July 19th, students from schools and universities worldwide teamed up to remotely control planetary rovers, including our very own Helelani rover in Hawaiʻi.
PISCES Research Director Christian Andersen connected with two teams: four students from Sishu Griha Montessori and High School in India and two students from Rizal Technological University in the Philippines. From PISCES’ command center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Andersen guided the students through the process of tele-robotically controlling Helelani using command lines on the Helelani GUI (Graphic User Interface). The students maneuvered Helelani around obstacles, relying on situational awareness cameras for guidance. The same technique is used to operate planetary rovers on Mars.
The event was an excellent opportunity to promote international collaboration and give students hands-on experience with realistic command-line interfaces. Mahalo to the MVA for inviting us to participate again this year!