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NASA is pioneering new frontiers in space exploration with the development of tiny underwater robots through the Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers (SWIM) project. These innovative robots are designed to explore extraterrestrial oceans, beginning with the icy waters beneath Jupiter's moon, Europa. SWIM robots were recently tested in a Caltech swimming pool, demonstrating their ability to navigate autonomously.
The SWIM project is an integral part of NASA's broader strategy to search for life beyond Earth. The upcoming Europa Clipper mission, scheduled for launch in 2030, will fly by Europa, studying its potential to support life. However, SWIM robots take this exploration a step further, diving beneath Europa's thick ice crust to search for signs of life in its subsurface ocean.
The robots, about 16.5 inches long in their prototype form, have shown the ability to perform complex movements and even spell out "J-P-L" underwater. Future versions, scaled down to 5 inches, will be equipped with advanced sensors to measure temperature, pressure, and chemical composition, providing crucial data on Europa's ocean.
NASA has also conducted computer simulations to recreate Europa's harsh environment, helping refine the robots' designs and operational capabilities, including the balance between exploration efficiency, battery life (up to two hours), and the number of robots in a swarm.
Engineers at Georgia Tech have developed a miniature ocean composition sensor for the robots, allowing them to measure the environmental factors of alien oceans. While these robots are designed for space exploration, their technology could also support Earth-based research, particularly in polar oceans and difficult-to-reach underwater environments.
The SWIM project is part of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, which funds early-stage, groundbreaking technologies that could revolutionize space exploration.
