These images demonstrate how The Imaging Source industrial cameras are integrated into the Aberystwyth University (AU) PanCam, an emulator designed to mimic the planned PanCam instrument for the European ExoMars Mars rover mission. The AU PanCam serves as a testing platform, enabling researchers to experiment with software and procedures that will be used on the actual mission without deploying real hardware.

The system consists of two wide-angle cameras (WACs) and one narrow-angle or high-resolution camera (HRC). The WACs are The Imaging Source DMK 31BF03, monochrome FireWire cameras equipped with custom multi-spectral filter wheels. These allow both color imaging using red, green, and blue filters, along with geological imaging through a range of narrowband filters that extend into the infrared spectrum. Each WAC has a horizontal field of view of approximately 35 degrees. The rover combines images from both WACs to create stereo views and perform 3D terrain reconstructions.

The HRC is a The Imaging Source DFK 31BF03-Z2 color zoom FireWire camera, typically configured with a narrow horizontal field of view—around 4.6 degrees—to capture detailed images of rocks and other scientific targets.

Both cameras are mounted on a Directed Perception pan/tilt unit for precise positioning. The entire system is controlled by an onboard Linux-based computer. The experimental rover’s chassis follows the design specifications of the ExoMars prototype, complete with six independently steerable wheels, a robotic arm, and navigation systems being tested in simulated Martian environments.

Experiments conducted at the AU Planetary Analogue Terrain Laboratory (PATLab) explore vision processing, autonomous navigation, and intelligent sample acquisition for future planetary missions. All images belong to Aberystwyth University; more information about this project can be found in their press release titled “ExoMars exhibits self-control in sampling Mars terrain”.

Last Updated: 2025-09-05 01:51:15