Space Robotics and Generative Estimation Laboratory

The Space Robotics and Generative Estimation (SRGE) Lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University develops autonomy, perception and estimation methods for robotics in extreme environments. Established in 2025, SRGE is the university’s dedicated planetary robotics laboratory. More than 20 undergraduate and graduate researchers contribute to simulation, hardware development and field testing of robotic systems designed for space and planetary exploration. Research areas include planetary mobility, state estimation and resilient navigation, robot-terrain interaction, orbital robotics and astrodynamics, and swarm coordination.

The goals of this lab include:

• Enable resilient navigation and state estimation in GNSS-denied and adversarial conditions.
• Advance planetary mobility through rovers, quadrupeds, bipeds and aerial-ground hybrid robots.
• Model terrain interaction and proprioceptive sensing to improve locomotion planning and control.
• Develop cooperative and swarm robotics strategies for exploration and surface logistics.
• Train students through hands-on research, publications and professional engagement.

The lab supports ~20 undergraduate and graduate researchers annually. Capabilities include resilient state estimation and navigation in GNSS-denied or adversarial conditions, planetary mobility and terrain-interaction modeling, proprioceptive and vision-based sensing, sim-to-field validation of robotic platforms, swarm coordination and orbital robotics applications such as cislunar operations and debris tracking. Students regularly present their work at national and international conferences and contribute to peer-reviewed journal publications.

Equipment

• Robotic platforms: Custom rovers, quadrupeds, bipeds, manipulators and hybrid aerial-ground robots.
• Sensing and navigation systems: IMUs, GNSS-denied navigation test setups, vision-based navigation, proprioceptive sensing and slip-detection hardware.
• Simulation and software environments: ROS 2, IsaacSim/Lab, MuJoCo, Project Chrono, STK and in-house estimation frameworks.