Valentin Bickel
University of Bern, ETH Zurich, Planet, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Papers
11
Total Citations
233
H-Index
5
About
Valentin Bickel is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of planetary science and space robotics, whose work is reshaping how humanity plans to explore the Moon and Mars. His research spans robotic locomotion on challenging extraterrestrial terrain, lunar geomorphology, and in-situ resource utilization — areas that are growing critically important as agencies worldwide advance crewed and uncrewed lunar missions under programs like Artemis. Bickel's most influential contribution, "Scientific exploration of challenging planetary analog environments with a team of legged robots" (2023, 104 citations), demonstrated that legged robots can access scientifically rich but treacherous terrains that wheeled rovers simply cannot reach. Building on this, his work on the quadrupedal robot SpaceBok (2022, 43 citations) provided experimental validation of dynamic walking across steep, granular Martian analog slopes — a breakthrough for practical mission design. Beyond robotics, Bickel has made notable contributions to lunar geology, including analysis of boulder tracks to assess trafficability of pyroclastic deposits (2019, 36 citations) and detailed geologic mapping of the Schrödinger Basin to support sample return planning. His more recent work on autonomous lunar construction and the LunarLeaper mission concept further underscores his role as a visionary thinker helping lay the operational and scientific foundations for humanity's long-term presence beyond Earth.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 6Autonomous construction of lunar infrastructure with in-situ boulders4 citations · 2024
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- 10LEAP - Legged Exploration of the Aristarchus Plateau2 citations · 2022