NASA is developing miniature underwater robots called SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers), designed to explore hidden oceans on icy moons like Europa, of Jupiter, and Enceladus, of Saturn, in search of extraterrestrial life.
These prototypes, currently measuring 42 cm and weighing 2.3 kg, will be reduced to the size of a smartphone in the final version. With propellers and fins for navigation, the robots operate autonomously, an essential skill for missions so far from Earth.
In tests conducted, the SWIM robots succeeded in swimming in a 23-meter pool, and computer simulations replicated the extreme conditions of Europa.
NASA plans to send swarms of robots, organized in waves, to explore large volumes of water and collect data through underwater acoustic communication. Each robot will have a battery with a runtime of up to two hours, allowing for detailed analysis of unexplored areas.
Although these robots are not part of the Europa Clipper mission, which has already been launched and is scheduled to reach Europa in 2030 for flybys, they may be integrated into future missions. The hope is that, with technological advances, the SWIM robots will help confirm whether the hidden oceans of these moons could support life, providing an unprecedented opportunity to find concrete evidence of extraterrestrial beings.
Source: The Sun | Photo: X @NASA_Marshall | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team