The PER was designed to be an educational tool. Its first application was in a museum exhibit designed to teach the public about robot autonomy and the role of rovers in the NASA Mars mission. The interactive exhibit offers visitors the hands on experience of operating a rover. The rover is situated in a Mars yard and the visitor is given the task of searching for signs of life within the yard.

Take a look at the Mars yards created at each installation site.

View the exhibit interaction through screen shots from the exhibit kiosk.

In the PER exhibit the rover tests for signs of life by shining an ultraviolet light on target rocks. Some of the Mars yard rocks have been painted with a UV fluorescent paint that glows under the light. In the exhibit the test is just a simulation, but it mimics real tests for organic compounds. Future Martian rovers may look for life by spraying a dye that fluoresces when it interacts with organic materials. Read more about the search for life in this article from the New York Times.