Current research and development trends in key technologies of autonomous mobile operation robots for extraterrestrial objects

With the advancement of deep space exploration, extraterrestrial objects exploration has become a strategic focus of space programs worldwide. Autonomous mobile operation robots, as key platforms for scientific exploration and resource utilization, face dual challenges posed by complex environments and diversified mission requirements. A systematic review was conducted of the characteristics of extraterrestrial objects and current mission, and three key technologies were identified: high-performance mobility control over rugged terrain, localization and navigation based on multi-source perception, and swarm robots control for collaborative tasks. Recent research progress was analyzed to outline future trends. Firstly, recent progress in rugged-terrain mobility for wheeled and legged systems was reviewed, with an ongoing shift identified from generalized passive adaptation toward task-oriented structural innovation and intelligent control. Secondly, advances in SLAM and intelligent path planning were surveyed, highlighting the complementary value of visual and LiDAR sensing. A clear transition in research focus was reported, moving from environmental geometric reconstruction to semantic scene understanding, which is essential for autonomous cognition and decision-making in unknown, dynamic environments. In swarm robot control, centralized, distributed, and hybrid control architectures were compared. The hybrid architecture was identified as the future direction for optimally balancing system efficiency and robustness. Finally, from the perspectives of structural optimization, intelligent autonomous decision-making, and swarm architectures, development recommendations for future extraterrestrial objects autonomous mobile operation robots were proposed.