NASA is advancing its search for extraterrestrial life by developing miniature underwater robots designed to explore alien oceans.
Known as the Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers (SWIM) project, these robots have undergone initial testing in a Caltech swimming pool and could eventually dive into Jupiter's moon Europa's subsurface ocean.The SWIM initiative aligns with NASA's broader goal of examining whether environments beyond Earth could support life.
Scheduled for a 2030 launch, the Europa Clipper mission will perform flybys to investigate the moon's ice-covered ocean. Building on this mission, SWIM envisions deploying a swarm of cell phone-sized robots beneath Europa's thick ice crust to search for chemical signals and temperature variations, key indicators of life.Also read: Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein Season 2, The Piano Lesson and other top 7 OTT releases to watch todayOnce delivered by an ice-penetrating cryobot, the robots would operate autonomously, fanning out to cover a wide area.
Recent tests demonstrated their ability to perform search patterns in water and respond to simulated environmental cues. NASA engineers have also conducted simulations replicating Europa's harsh conditions to refine the robots' capabilities, ensuring they balance exploration efficiency with limited battery life.Also read: Google must sell Chrome to restore competition in online search, DOJ arguesEthan Schaler, SWIM's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, highlighted the project's importance.
He explained that finding environments suitable for life requires exploring water-based systems, which means creating autonomous robots capable of operating far from Earth.The prototypes, measuring about 16.5 inches during testing, successfully navigated water and even performed complex movements like spelling "J-P-L." Future versions will be smaller, about 5 inches long, equipped with sensors to measure temperature, pressure, and chemical composition.