Rover Camera Calibration: The Mathematics of Space Vision
How the pinhole model, intrinsic and extrinsic parameters and lens distortion turn light into geometry for a rover vision system.
PLANETARY ROBOTICS & AUTONOMY
Beyond the Joystick
Space Robotics, Autonomous Navigation & Planetary Exploration
Exploring the algorithms, software, and engineering behind autonomous planetary rovers — from SLAM and path planning to ROS 2 and hands-on robotics projects.
FIELD NOTES & ENGINEERING
Latest Articles
Insights, algorithms, and engineering ideas for the next generation of autonomous planetary rovers.
Rover Slip Estimation on Lunar Sand: Lab Test
Planetary rovers face significant mobility challenges on loose extraterrestrial terrains, making sand entrapment a critical threat. In this Lab Breakdown, we decode the science of Rover Slip Estimation. By benchmarking …
The New Lunar Gold Rush: How Commercial Rovers are Scaling Autonomous Mobility
The lunar exploration paradigm is shifting from multi-billion-dollar, Rad-Hard institutional rovers to agile, modular platforms built with COTS components. To compensate for strict SWaP constraints and reduced sensor …
What Self-Driving Cars Can (and Can’t) Teach Space Rovers
The convergence of terrestrial autonomous vehicles and planetary rovers reveals profound algorithmic and architectural intersections. While self-driving cars process immense data using high-performance processors in …
VIPER: The New Challenge of AI Navigation in Permanent Moon Shadows
This article provides a comprehensive engineering review of the VIPER rover AI navigation system, designed for the extreme conditions of lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs). Resurrected for a 2027 Blue Origin …
Beyond Reconstruction: Zero-Shot Anomaly Detection of Telemetry with TimeRCD
Space telemetry analysis is shifting from reconstruction-based models like TadGAN to Zero-Shot Anomaly Detection. Traditional generative models struggle in deep space, suffering from overfitting and failing to identify …
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
Labs & Projects
Hands-on robotics projects, software experiments, and engineering tutorials for autonomous planetary exploration.
Practical tutorials and engineering projects will appear here as they are published.
Browse the ArticlesTHE IDEA BEHIND THE PROJECT
The Engineer Behind the Exploration
Beyond the Joystick explores the technologies that make autonomous planetary exploration possible. Through technical articles, practical tutorials, and engineering projects, the goal is to connect theory with implementation — from autonomous navigation and SLAM to robotics software and rover systems.
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