Boudreaux — (Space)man’s Best Friend?
NASA will continue this partnership, in the form of a robotic rover (sorry about that) like Spirit and Opportunity of Mars exploration fame — Boudreaux, the robotic “dog” (Extra Vehicular Activity Robotic Assistant).
Recently put to the test in the Mars-like Utah desert, Boudreaux is programmed to follow astronauts on its own, planning a route for itself autonomously. It can carry tools, to reduce the burden on astronauts. It’s stereovision cameras can relay pictures to a control center, making it the eyes of mission control.
The article doesn’t explain where they got the name for the thing, but I can’t help but cringe when I imagine future astronauts giving verbal instructions to “BOO‘drauw”.
Tom,
The explanation of where it got it’s name is in todays Times Picayuune (to everyone else, yes, that is the real name of the paper):
http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/living-0/109981448677200.xml?nola
What is very interesting is it was developed by a contractor in Baton Rouge.
And how many of your readers knows that a Catahoula is a breed of hunting dog in South Louisiana?
I figured if anyone wanted to know, they would ask…it was a deliberately obscure allusion.
Thanks for the link.