ARCHES: Autonomous Robot Network

Robots ex­plore a 'quasi-Moon' on Mount Et­na

What do the Moon and Mount Etna have in common? An rough surface and challenging conditions. In summer 2022, DLR scientists made use of the harsh conditions at the volcano to test technologies for future Solar System exploration missions. Mount Etna was chosen by the researchers because it is a unique location that meets the geological criteria of an actual mission to the Moon.

Last updated: 17 September 2026

Autonomous robotic networks – creating the technical basis for these was the goal of the Helmholtz ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies) project, in which the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) was participating. The focus was on environmental monitoring of the oceans, exploration of the Solar System and crisis intervention in places where it would be too dangerous for humans to work. This may be the case, for example, in the dismantling of nuclear power plants or in the inspection of damaged buildings after a disaster.

Other possible areas of application can be found wherever direct intervention of the robots as an extension of a human would make sense. Collaborative mobile robotic systems will prove ideal for autonomous road and rail traffic, especially in the planning of demand-based public transport in inner-city areas or making deliveries to shops. In addition, networked robotic assistants can provide valuable services in the medical or therapeutic care of older people or persons with restricted mobility.

What must autonomous mobile robots be able to do?

All of the aforementioned areas of application place the highest demands on robustness and reliability. Both on the ground and in the air – whether as a rover or a drone – mobile robotic systems must be able to comprehend their surroundings over a large area as precisely as possible and find suitable routes on that basis. In doing so, they also have to ensure that their energy supply is adequate. Another requirement is that they have to be able to manipulate objects, which means collecting samples and examining them on site. Finally, they have to be able to exchange the data they have acquired with one another and communicate with the mission control centre. The ARCHES project tested all of this in two scenarios. From 13 June to 9 July 2022, the first demonstration mission on the topic of 'Space' was carried out on the Sicilian volcano Etna, in an environment that resembles the surface of the Moon in terms of soil composition.

DLR and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were working together on the space-analogue mission as part of the ARCHES project. The European Space Agency ESA was also taking part in this project. DLR was also involved in the second part of the project, a deep-sea-analogue mission, directed by the Helmholtz centres for Polar and Marine Research (Alfred Wegener Institute, AWI) and for Ocean Research (GEOMAR). Their findings are communicated to all partners to make them usable independently of the respective deployment scenarios. This applies both to the hardware and the joint analysis and interpretation of data by the network’s robots and their interaction with humans.

News

Loading

Multimedia

placeholder

Your consent to the storage of data ('cookies') is required for the playback of this video on Youtube.com. You can view and change your current data storage settings at any time under privacy.

Re-Live from ILA 2022: ARCHES robotics mission explores 'quasi-moon' Etna (in German)
Stream from the DLR stand at the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin to Mount Etna in Sicily. A complex robotic exploration demonstration mission took place near the summit: 'Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies' (ARCHES). Researchers were using the inhospitable environment of Mount Etna as a 'lunar analogue'. A lander, two rovers and a drone worked autonomously together, exploring their surroundings, mapping them and performing other tasks. In order to test mission scenarios for robotic exploration on Earth before setting off for the Moon or Mars, scientists are looking for locations that are as close as possible to the conditions on a distant celestial body. From 13 June to 9 July 2022, Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily became a ‘quasi-Moon', because the volcanic landscape with its granular surface, earthquakes and solidified lava layers resembles the geological composition of the Earth's satellite.
Image: 1/6, Credit:
RODIN lander and LRU1 robot on Mount Etna
LRU1 (Lightweight Rover Unit) and the lander RODIN during the ARCHES space-analogue demonstration mission on Mount Etna. In order to test mission scenarios for robotic exploration on Earth before going to the Moon or Mars, scientists are looking for places on Earth that come close to the conditions on another celestial body. From 13 June to 9 July 2022, Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily became a 'quasi-Moon', as the volcanic landscape with its granular surface and solidified lava layers resembles the geological composition of the Moon.
Image: 2/6, Credit:
DownloadDownload
DLR's LRU2 robot during the ARCHES space simulation on Mount Etna
The Lightweight Rover Unit 2 (LRU) during a very unusual outdoor test on Mount Etna. In order to test mission scenarios for robotic exploration on Earth before going to the Moon or Mars, scientists were looking for places on Earth that come close to the conditions on another celestial body. From 13 June to 9 July 2022, Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily became a 'quasi-Moon', as the volcanic landscape with its granular surface and solidified lava layers resembles the geological composition of the Moon. ARCHES stands for 'Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies'. Researchers used Etna's harsh environment as a 'lunar analogue'. Several rovers, a lander and a drone worked together, exploring their surroundings and performing several tasks.
Image: 6/6, Credit:
DownloadDownload

Background articles

ARCH­ES space-ana­logue demon­stra­tion mis­sion

Robots ex­plore plan­ets, moons, as­ter­oids and comets. They must be de­signed in such a way that they can per­form their tasks au­tonomous­ly in harsh and un­fa­mil­iar en­vi­ron­ments. In or­der to test such mis­sion sce­nar­ios, in the ARCH­ES project Mount Et­na serves as a 'sub­sti­tute' for the Moon.

The DLR com­po­nents of the ARCH­ES space-ana­logue demon­stra­tion mis­sion

Au­tonomous robot teams will car­ry out a num­ber of dif­fer­ent tasks in the space-ana­logue mis­sion on Mount Et­na. These in­clude ge­o­log­i­cal in­ves­ti­ga­tions with the col­lec­tion of rock sam­ples and an ex­per­i­ment to mea­sure ra­dio waves. The Ger­man Aerospace Cen­ter (DLR) au­tonomous robots par­tic­i­pat­ing in ARCH­ES are con­struct­ed for use on Earth but de­signed in such a way that they can be adapt­ed for a space mis­sion. They each have dif­fer­ent spe­cial­i­sa­tions and can as­sist one an­oth­er with their tasks.

Participating DLR institutes and facilities

Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics

The Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics in Oberpfaffenhofen develops a wide array of robots to enable humans to interact more safely and efficiently with their surrounding environments.

Institute of Space Research

The DLR-Institute of Space Research is a world-leading competence center for optical sensor systems and their application in planetary research, Earth observation and security.

Institute of Communications and Navigation

The Institute of Communications and Navigation develops and investigates new systems and methods for radio transmission and radiolocation.

Space Operations and Astronaut Training

DLR Space Operations is the central institution for spaceflight operations in Germany. This responsibility includes satellite missions for Earth observation, science and communication missions as well as the exploration of the Solar System and human spaceflight missions.

Institute of System Dynamics and Control

The main focus of the Institute of System Dynamics and Control is the requirement driven, system dynamically holistic design, optimal feedforward and robust feedback control of complex safety critical systems for spaceflight systems, aircraft, road, railway and planetary vehicles, as well as industrial robots.

Contact

Michael Müller

Editor
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Corporate Communications
Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne
Tel: +49 2203 601-3717