A team of researchers has developed a concept based on biomimicry to explore the vast cavernous underground lava tubes of Mars. Their concept includes a spherical “roly-poly” drone, as well as a swarm of tiny, wind-dispersed drones resembling dandelion seeds.

Mostafa Hassanalian, an associate professor at New Mexico Tech, leads the biomimicry project. His team aims to overcome the limitations of traditional, bulky Mars rovers in accessing these shielded environments.

‘Dandelion’ and ‘roly-poly’ drones

Current Mars rovers, such as NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance, are too large to enter many cave openings. Surface conditions make things even harder, as high winds can damage equipment.

This problem means that lava tubes on Mars are largely unexplored. These underground tunnels—which can stretch over 1,200 kilometers (over 745 miles) and reach widths exceeding 250 meters (820 feet)—could serve as ideal locations for human settlements, as they provide natural shielding from cosmic radiation and the elements. To better understand these Martian tunnels, the proposed “roly-poly” robot would deploy via parachute through a surface skylight into a lava tube, as reported by Space.com.

Once inside, it would uncurl and release its payload of micro-drones. These lightweight drones, inspired by dandelion seeds, would drift through the tunnels carried by natural air currents or assisted by a built-in fan on the mother robot. Equipped with sensors, they would map tunnel layouts, measure temperature, humidity, and other conditions, and transmit data back via radio signals.

Design choices for the concept draw directly from nature. The drones will be painted white to reflect sunlight, keeping them cooler and lighter, mirroring dandelion seeds. They will be powered by piezoelectric materials that generate electricity through mechanical deformation. This will allow them to remain functional, even in the complete darkness of the caves, where solar panels would fail.

Charting the Red Planet

Lava tubes hold significant value for future missions. They could provide shelter for future habitats, as they offer protection from radiation and temperature swings on the Martian surface. Some may contain frozen water ice, which could be used for drinking water and oxygen. They may even preserve signs of ancient microbial life.

Understanding their interiors, therefore, could play a key role in planning future missions to the Red Planet. The new drone swarm concept could prove crucial, helping engineers better understand these environments. For example, factors such as wind speeds inside these untouched Martian lava tubes remain unknown.

For now, the team is testing its technology inside Earth-based volcanic caves. The team claims that the communication range and power efficiency for the small drones require further optimization.

To date, no human-made object has entered a Martian lava tube. NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has demonstrated that controlled flight is possible on Mars, but the now-grounded chopper never entered a cave system.

NASA has previously stated it is interested in exploring Arsia Mons, a shield volcano in Mars’ Tharsis region. Tharsis includes Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system.

Arsia Mons is of particular interest because NASA has captured images of skylights in the area—cave entrances that lead into vast underground tunnel networks. With the first crewed missions to Mars tentatively scheduled for the 2030s, this swarm of nature-inspired drones could go a long way to mapping the region ahead of time.