Mobile Robots for Harsh Environments: Lessons Learned from Field Experiments

Mobile robots for harsh environments provide useful means for automating the collection of research data in the field by reducing human involvement. MARVIN II has been designed and constructed to autonomously collect radar measurements to determine properties of the polar ice sheets. This paper discusses the lessons learned from a number of field experiments with its predecessor MARVIN, and how these lessons influenced the new design of MARVIN II.