Collaborate Disseminate
In a demonstration that less can be more, EPFL scientists are working on simple robots that behave and cooperate like ants. The 10-g (0.35-oz) Tribots are simple, tetherless, reconfigurable three-legged robots that are folded like origami, bu… Continue reading Tiny ant-inspired Tribots embrace collective intelligence to tackle big tasks
Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and the University of Bath are developing a technique that uses satellite radar imaging to monitor the safety of bridges and other large-scale infrastructure. Us… Continue reading Satellite-based radar could spot faulty bridges from space
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has ordered three laser and radio-frequency weapons demonstrators for the country’s Armed Forces. Today’s announcement promises £130 million (US$162 million) to test and evaluate the next generation of Directed En… Continue reading UK expands laser and radio frequency directed energy weapons program
A Stanford University team led by associate professor of chemical engineering Elizabeth Sattely is developing genetically engineered plants that can better absorb iron from the soil. By making it easier to ingest the trace mineral, it may be … Continue reading Engineering plants for better root microbiomes would unlock land for staple crops
NASA engineers are conducting an extremely long-range reconfiguring of the space agency’s two 42-year-old Voyager deep-space probes to extend their service lives. By cutting back and reallocating heating resources and bringing back online thr… Continue reading NASA reallocates resources to extend life of Voyager deep-space probes
NASA has awarded Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Astrobotic a US$5.6 million contract to build a new suitcase-sized robotic lunar rover that could land on the Moon as soon as 2021. One of 12 proposals selected as part of the agency’s Lun… Continue reading NASA taps Carnegie Mellon to build small, speedy MoonRanger lunar rover
In a neat bit of fast-paced detective work, NASA recently backtracked from an image of a meteor that exploded over the Caribbean Sea and was able to confirm that it marked the demise of an asteroid that had only been detected 12 hours earlier. Estimated to be only 16 ft (5 m) in size, it was too small to pose any danger, but it did demonstrate the space agency’s growing ability to monitor potentially hazardous asteroids.
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Continue Reading Explosion over the Caribbean highlights NASA’s asteroid tracking credentials
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Continue reading Explosion over the Caribbean highlights NASA's asteroid tracking credentials
Having recently received its wheels, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover now has its arm. On June 21, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, began attaching the intricate robotic arm and hand that the unmanned explorer will use to search for signs of past and present life on the Red Planet.
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Continue Reading NASA’s Mars 2020 rover gets robotic arm to search for life on the Red Planet
Category: Space
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Continue reading NASA's Mars 2020 rover gets robotic arm to search for life on the Red Planet
In an effort to make conventional aircraft and Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs) get along, NASA is embarking on the latest in a series of flight tests. Using specially adapted drones and manned “intruder” aircraft, the purpose is to demonstrat… Continue reading NASA tests onboard sensors designed to improve drone safety
Mold spores commonly found aboard the International Space Station (ISS) turn out to be radiation resistant enough to survive 200 times the X-ray dose needed to kill a human being. Based on experiments by a team of researchers led by Marta Cor… Continue reading ISS is home to super-tough molds that laugh in the face of deadly radiation