SI Agent Rover Swarm

The Robust Software Engineering Group (RSE) is a component of the NASA Ames Intelligent Systems Division (Code T.I.) located in Silicon Valley, California. We focus on building robust fault-tolerant systems that must operate in extreme conditions. This is shown through RSE’s successful missions, including the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA) and our contributions to the VIPER moon rover. Currently, we are prototyping rover swarms that can handle complex tasks in a distributed manner. Controlling a swarm of autonomous systems from a traditional ground control station is difficult since it often means communicating with each unit independently. As the number of units grows, it becomes more difficult to manage the swarm.

For this internship, we are looking to address that problem by developing an SI agent deployed closer to the swarm, so that it can take on some of the swarm operator load. To do this, we propose an SI agent, to which we can tell a small mission goal, and that agent would be in the control loop, receiving telemetry from the rovers, and issuing commands to the rovers to achieve the goal. This will allow the autonomous swarm of prototype rovers to work in concert to execute complex and synchronized tasks with minimal human oversight.

The project intern will learn about NASA’s core Flight Software (cFS), basic computer networking, and will be responsible with helping generate and fine-tune an SI Agent for autonomous swarm movement and coordination.

**Eligible Applicants:** Student
**Academic Level:** Undergraduate Freshman, Undergraduate Sophomore, Undergraduate Junior, Undergraduate Senior, Graduate Master's
**Activity Type:** In-person
**Citizenship:** US Citizen Only
**Type:** Internships