DailyDirt: Creepy (But Useful?) Robots

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Robot locomotion is a fascinating field of study, and it's mesmerizing to watch robots walk around like zombies, even if these robots aren't entirely practical or useful just yet. Presumably, these robots will someday cross the uncanny valley and move more reliably and smoothly. Until then, however, biomimicry for robots seems wide open to a variety of human-like or insect-like or worm-like combinations. (Watch out for centaur-like robot patents!)

• A humanoid diving robot called OceanOne that can swim pretty deep underwater with impressive dexterity. It's not autonomous (yet), but as a remote-controlled robot, it will be able to explore fragile deep sea ecosystems or underwater shipwrecks much better than more traditional remote operated vehicles. [url]
• NASA is considering a robotic eel to explore Jupiter's moon Europa -- but also soccer ball-like robots (not like BB-8) and other crawling/hopping bots. One unmanned aerial vehicle among the proposals described two gliders tethered to each other that could fly for "years" and perform the duties of an atmospheric satellite. [url]
• An eel-like robot has been developed to be permanently attached to the seabed to inspect and maintain underwater mechanical devices. Its snake-like body can be used in confined areas, and it also shouldn't give anyone nightmares at all. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: autonomous bots, bio-inspired locomotion, biomimicry, europa, oceanone, robot locomotion, robots, unmanned aerial vehicle
Companies: nasa

DailyDirt: Alien Lifeforms In Our Solar System

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

So far, we only have one example of life -- the biosphere of Earth. Our planet probably isn't unique in the universe, but compared to the other large objects in our solar system, Earth looks special. However, there are a few other spots in our solar system that could support life. It would be so nice to find another living neighbor -- as long as they kept to themselves after we meet them.

• Jupiter's moon, Europa, could harbor life in vast watery oceans beneath its icy crust. Europa's subsurface oceans hold roughly twice as much water (or more) as the Earth's oceans -- so there could be organisms similar to extremophiles that live near hydrothermal vents at the bottom of our oceans. [url]
• Life, but not as we know it, could potentially exist on Saturn's giant moon, Titan. There's a sea of liquid methane on Titan which would require a very different biochemistry -- but it's apparently not unthinkable that a theoretical cell membrane called an azotosome might exist. Or not. [url]
• Optimistic astrobiologists might be surprised to find lifeforms that are more complex than single-celled organisms. Newly discovered Antarctic crustaceans and fish living deep under a glacier in Lake Whillans provide an example of an unexpected thriving ecosystem that is almost completely isolated from the rest of our biosphere. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: antarctica, astrobiology, azotosome, biosphere, ecosystem, europa, extremophile, lake whillans, life, titan

DailyDirt: DIY Space Exploration

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The cost of getting an object into space is getting cheaper with time, so it's not too surprising that amateurs are starting to mess around with small satellites and vehicles that reach the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. Amateurs haven't achieved low Earth orbit without the help of actual aerospace companies, but citizen scientists could be getting closer to doing real space science on shoestring budgets. Here are just a few space exploration projects that didn't cost billions of taxpayer dollars.

• There are more than a handful of crowdfunded projects aiming to shoot stuff (including humans) into space. Copenhagen Suborbitals has an impressive following, but there are other amateur rocket scientists putting nano-satellites into low earth orbit and building novel thruster systems and space suits. The ability to do experiments in space has never been as accessible as it is today. [url]
• The Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) project is launching a 3D printed rocket at an altitude of over 65,000 feet from a helium balloon. It's a bit more complicated than most weather balloon projects, but it would need more sophisticated tech to get to the edge of space and beyond. [url]
• NASA is considering proposals to let some cubesats hitch a ride to Europa to complement its Clipper mission to Jupiter's icy moon. Ten universities are among the finalists to get a $25,000 grant to develop their cubesat experiments. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: crowdfunding, cubesats, diy space, europa, inexpensive space projects, leo, lohan, low orbit helium assisted navigator, satellites, space, space exploration
Companies: copenhagen suborbitals, nasa

DailyDirt: People In Space

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Hundreds of thousands of people have already applied for a one-way ticket to Mars for the Mars One program to establish a human colony on the red planet by 2023. Funding for Mars One is expected to come from a reality TV show as well as sponsorships and donations -- and even IP licensing from any technology it develops along the way. Mars One appears to have collected over $150,000 in donations so far, so there's at least some interest in the concept (though the total cost for a Mars trip could easily be billions). Here are just a few more links on some other plans to get humans into space.

• The odds of vasts amounts of ice existing on the moon are looking pretty grim. Without a significant amount of ice on the moon, potential lunar colonies would have to bring their own water -- and that would make it a lot more expensive to live on the moon. [url]
• Mark Burnett has been pitching a reality TV show for putting contestants into space since the late 1990s, even selling a show called Destination Mir to NBC in 2000. Burnett's latest space-themed reality show would put an ordinary person on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. [url]
• Sony Pictures Television is launching a reality TV show on Dutch broadcaster Nederland 1 called Milky Way Mission that will have (local Dutch) celebrities competing for a seat on an XCOR spaceplane via the Space Expedition Corporation's (SXC) space airline. The first season will have eight 1-hr episodes that will might end in a blast off to an altitude of 340,000 feet. [url]
• Objective Europa is an ambitious manned exploration project that aims to put people on an icy moon of Jupiter. The organizers plan to crowdfund a one-way trip to Europa, and these astronauts would face certain death even if they managed to reach Jupiter's moon. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: astronauts, colony, crowdfunding, destination mir, europa, jupiter, manned exploration, mark burnett, mars one, milky way mission, moon, reality tv, space
Companies: sony pictures television, sxc, xcor

DailyDirt: Water On The Earth And Beyond...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The Earth is obviously covered in a lot of water, but a lot more water could potentially exist below the Earth's surface. It's actually somewhat difficult to know exactly how much water exists on our own planet, so it's even harder to figure out how much water exists on other planets or moons. We also don't really know where all the Earth's water originally came from -- icy comets, asteroids or some chemical process that could only occur while the Earth itself was forming. But in any case, water is a fascinating substance to look for, and here are just a few articles on this unique liquid.

• Jupiter's moon, Europa, could have a vast saltwater ocean below its surface -- possibly containing more liquid water than all of the Earth's oceans. Images showing the bumpy surface of Europa suggest that there are "chaos terrains" similar to those on Earth, which could help us understand the geology of Europa better. [url]
• The "Goldilocks Zone" for extrasolar planets refers to the orbital space where the conditions are just right for liquid water to exist. But that doesn't mean water actually does exist on the other worlds we've discovered so far. [url]
• Russian scientists are drilling down through over 2 miles of ice to Antarctica’s biggest subglacial lake, Vostok. There could be exotic lifeforms in these waters which haven't seen daylight for millions of years. [url]
• Based on radar measurements, the sediment coverage on the surface of Mars suggests the red planet once had two oceans. These oceans may not have existed long enough to support life formation, and it's not known where all the water went. [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: chaos terrains, europa, extrasolar planets, goldilocks zone, jupiter, mars, oceans, vostok, water