TheRetroArcade
Veteran
Posts: 11,152
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Destined for the stars.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Here's one for you: Let's say you're a scientist tasked with designing an intuitive physical interface for a human operator to remotely control a robot destined to rove Mars. What do you do? Well, it turns out there's no need to reinvent the wheel.
Airbus recently showed off its ExoMars rover to documentarian Tom Scott, even letting him have a go at steering it. The remote control device the aerospace company uses turns out to be a modified Steam Deck. Whether it's the LCD or OLED model, I can't say but it looks like the standard version to me.
During the short documentary, the rover is driven forward via the handheld gaming PC. A 'bumper' press then turns the wheels around 90-degrees, avoiding the need for an awkward turning circle or the possibility of getting stuck on a space rock.
The team at the aerospace company's Stevenage campus in the UK are developing autonomous navigation for the ExoMars rover, using what appears to be custom software running from a Steam Deck to navigate the terrain of their test bed. When the rover finally touches down on the Red Planet, it won't need to be steered via Valve's handheld.
The company is aiming to send a rover called the Rosalind Franklin to Mars in 2030, with the whole project described as "the culmination of more than 20 years’ work," by Airbus Defence and Space UK managing director Kata Escott (via Tom's Hardware). In addition to autonomous navigation, the company is also developing the rover landing platform's mechanical, thermal and propulsion systems.
There'll be no gamer den on that Mars landing platform, but it's still neat that Valve's handheld was a stepping stone on the journey there. And they say videogames can't teach you anything…
1. Best overall: Asus ROG Xbox Ally X
2. Best budget: Asus ROG Xbox Ally
3. Best high performance: MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
👉Check out our full handheld gaming PC guide👈
Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending a significant chunk of that time working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not investigating all things hardware here, she's either constructing a passionate defence of a 7/10 game, daydreaming about her debut novel, or feeling wistful about the last time she chased some nerds around a field with an oversized foam sword.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Here's one for you: Let's say you're a scientist tasked with designing an intuitive physical interface for a human operator to remotely control a robot destined to rove Mars. What do you do? Well, it turns out there's no need to reinvent the wheel.
Airbus recently showed off its ExoMars rover to documentarian Tom Scott, even letting him have a go at steering it. The remote control device the aerospace company uses turns out to be a modified Steam Deck. Whether it's the LCD or OLED model, I can't say but it looks like the standard version to me.
During the short documentary, the rover is driven forward via the handheld gaming PC. A 'bumper' press then turns the wheels around 90-degrees, avoiding the need for an awkward turning circle or the possibility of getting stuck on a space rock.
The team at the aerospace company's Stevenage campus in the UK are developing autonomous navigation for the ExoMars rover, using what appears to be custom software running from a Steam Deck to navigate the terrain of their test bed. When the rover finally touches down on the Red Planet, it won't need to be steered via Valve's handheld.
The company is aiming to send a rover called the Rosalind Franklin to Mars in 2030, with the whole project described as "the culmination of more than 20 years’ work," by Airbus Defence and Space UK managing director Kata Escott (via Tom's Hardware). In addition to autonomous navigation, the company is also developing the rover landing platform's mechanical, thermal and propulsion systems.
There'll be no gamer den on that Mars landing platform, but it's still neat that Valve's handheld was a stepping stone on the journey there. And they say videogames can't teach you anything…
1. Best overall: Asus ROG Xbox Ally X
2. Best budget: Asus ROG Xbox Ally
3. Best high performance: MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
👉Check out our full handheld gaming PC guide👈
Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending a significant chunk of that time working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not investigating all things hardware here, she's either constructing a passionate defence of a 7/10 game, daydreaming about her debut novel, or feeling wistful about the last time she chased some nerds around a field with an oversized foam sword.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?