Motorcycle crashes aside, here’s another case of Man/Machine collision: The JPL designed NASA Mars Rover climbing over a viscous, blubbery, greasy surface known as My Back. The JPL lady said this thing only weighs 10-pounds, but it kind of felt heavier. The final Mars rover has six wheels, but the first prototype had eight as shown here. All wheels are independently driven. (They went to six because it was just as effective at rolling over boulders and love handles, and saved weight so they could arm the bot with stuff like sensors and miniguns.) [JPL via NextFest]
