biobot
Latest
NASA's latest tech investments include shapeshifters and biobots
NASA is no stranger to backing unusual technology if it'll help with exploring the cosmos, and its latest move is proof of that adventurous mindset. The administration has invested in 25 "early-stage" tech proposals that could improve both human and robotic exploration, and some of them are particularly inventive. The Shapeshifter concept you see above, for instance, envisions a horde of robots that combine into different forms to explore virtually every surface on Saturn's moon Titan. It could form an aircraft for high-altitude missions, a ball on the ground or a torpedo for under-liquid expeditions.
ICYMI: Space junk reboot, biological machine v2 and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-763516{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-763516, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-763516{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-763516").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: NASA thinks it can extend the life of even dead satellites orbiting Earth with a new solution from the agency and Orbital ATK. Mission Extension Vehicles should go up in 2018 and give the sats battery power for as long as another 15 years. A game developer is trying to make older, classic Nintendo games 3D with an emulator that uses a custom algorithm to separate flat backgrounds into 3D objects. And the National Science Foundation funded work to create a biological machine that can be controlled with electrical or optical signals-- while using it's own muscle tissue for power. We also wanted to make sure you saw the ostrich chase video that is making the rounds. As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
