NASA appears to have discovered a novel solution to the scientists’ ongoing quest for new discoveries that will aid in their search for signs of extraterrestrial life. NASA scientists have developed a strategy to employ swarms of robots to look for extraterrestrial life in the solar system.
The SWIM (Sensing with Independent Micro-Swimmers) concept is crucial for missions that would be too dangerous for even powerful equipment, and the swarm’s size makes it ideal for hostile environments. These tiny robots can be stored inside any probe, and depending on the needs of the operation, they can be released both underwater and in the atmosphere.
A robotics mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory received a $600,000 grant from the Innovative Advanced Concepts program to create the robots. A two-year window has been allocated to Ethan Schaler to develop the final goods for NASA.
According to a NASA press release, Schaler said of the experiment, “With a swarm of small swimming robots, we are able to explore a considerably bigger volume of ocean water and improve our measurements by having many robots collecting data in the same location.”
The robots will be able to function autonomously thanks to an integrated propulsion and communications system, enabling intimate examination of planets. The robots’ meticulous attention to detail will enable researchers to collect more information, which may be essential in their quest to find extraterrestrial life.
