According to a CMU press release, researchers will be testing Zoë, an autonomous robot developed at the school, by sending it on a mission into the Atacama Desert. The robot is designed to search for life in hostile environments. David Wettergreen and other CMU researchers will be in Atacama with the robot for two months, conducting a series of experiments designed to test the robot's perception, mobility and autonomy during long-distance traverses. It is hoped that knowledge gained from these experiments can be applied to the next generation of NASA planetary rovers.