Here's a news article detailing ongoing work to create robots designed for exploring Antartica. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080529/ap_on_sc/tec_ice_robots

Some snippets from the article follow

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Georgia Tech researchers think the SnoMote — a small robot designed like a snowmobile — will be able to deal with the nasty weather and with slippery terrain that constantly cracks and shifts.

The SnoMotes negotiate with each other and "bid" on which site to investigate, allowing them to decide for themselves how to dole out their assignments.

Envisions a field of 40 to 50 of the SnoMotes wandering icy plains, a small army gathering data to shed light on global warming and other quandaries without breaking the bank.