{"id":94251,"date":"2022-06-28T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-480944"},"modified":"2023-09-07T18:22:45","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T22:22:45","slug":"swarm-of-tiny-swimming-robots-could-look-for-life-on-distant-worlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/niac\/swarm-of-tiny-swimming-robots-could-look-for-life-on-distant-worlds\/","title":{"rendered":"Swarm of Tiny Swimming Robots Could Look for Life on Distant Worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?resize=300,197 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?resize=768,503 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?resize=1024,671 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?resize=400,262 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?resize=600,393 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?resize=900,590 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">In the Sensing With Independent Micro-Swimmers (SWIM) concept, illustrated here, dozens of small robots would descend through the icy shell of a distant moon via a cryobot \u2013 depicted at left \u2013 to the ocean below. The project has received funding from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program.<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>A concept in development at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory would allow potential planetary missions to chase interesting clues in subsurface oceans.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Someday, a swarm of cellphone-size robots could whisk through the water beneath the miles-thick icy shell of Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa or Saturn\u2019s moon Enceladus, looking for signs of alien life. Packed inside a narrow ice-melting probe that would tunnel through the frozen crust, the tiny robots would be released underwater, swimming far from their mothercraft to take the measure of a new world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the vision of <a href=\"https:\/\/www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov\/who-we-are\/people\/ethan_schaler\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Ethan Schaler<\/a>, a robotics mechanical engineer at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, whose Sensing With Independent Micro-Swimmers (SWIM) concept was recently awarded $600,000 in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasa-selects-futuristic-space-technology-concepts-for-early-study\" rel=\"noopener\">Phase II funding<\/a> from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/spacetech\/niac\/index.html\">NIAC<\/a>) program. The funding, which follows his 2021 award of $125,000 in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/futuristic-space-technology-concepts-selected-by-nasa-for-initial-study\" rel=\"noopener\">Phase I NIAC funding<\/a> to study feasibility and design options, will allow him and his team to make and test 3D-printed prototypes over the next two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A key innovation is that Schaler\u2019s mini-swimmers would be much smaller than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/aquatic-rover-goes-for-a-drive-under-the-ice\" rel=\"noopener\">other concepts<\/a> for planetary ocean exploration robots, allowing many to be loaded compactly into an ice probe. They would add to the probe\u2019s scientific reach and could increase the likelihood of detecting evidence of life while assessing potential habitability on a distant ocean-bearing celestial body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy idea is, where can we take miniaturized robotics and apply them in interesting new ways for exploring our solar system?\u201d Schaler said. \u201cWith a swarm of small swimming robots, we are able to explore a much larger volume of ocean water and improve our measurements by having multiple robots collecting data in the same area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"1580\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"This illustration shows the NASA cryobot concept called Probe\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=198,300 198w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=768,1166 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=675,1024 675w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=1012,1536 1012w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=264,400 264w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=395,600 395w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=593,900 593w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25314-prime-e1-1041.jpg?resize=791,1200 791w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This illustration shows the NASA cryobot concept called Probe using Radioisotopes for Icy Moons Exploration (PRIME) deploying tiny wedge-shaped robots \u2013 collectively known as Sensing With Independent Micro-Swimmers (SWIM) \u2013 into the ocean miles below a lander on the frozen surface of an ocean world. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Not yet part of any NASA mission, the early-stage SWIM concept envisions wedge-shaped robots, each about 5 inches (12 centimeters) long and about 3 to 5 cubic inches (60 to 75 cubic centimeters) in volume. About four dozen of them could fit in a 4-inch-long (10-centimeter-long) section of a cryobot 10 inches (25 centimeters) in diameter, taking up just about 15% of the  science payload volume. That would leave plenty of room for more powerful but less mobile science instruments that could gather data during the long journey through the ice and provide stationary measurements in the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/europa.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Europa Clipper<\/a> mission, planned for a 2024 launch, will begin gathering detailed science during multiple flybys with a large suite of instruments when it arrives at the Jovian moon in 2030. Looking further into the future, cryobot concepts to investigate such ocean worlds are being developed through NASA\u2019s Scientific Exploration Subsurface Access Mechanism for Europa (<a href=\"https:\/\/www1.grc.nasa.gov\/space\/pesto\/space-vehicle-technologies-current\/scientific-exploration-subsurface-access-mechanism-for-europa-sesame\/\" rel=\"noopener\">SESAME<\/a>) program, as well as through other NASA technology development programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Better Together<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As ambitious as the SWIM concept is, its intent would be to reduce risk while enhancing science. The cryobot would be connected via a communications tether to the surface-based lander, which would in turn be the point of contact with mission controllers on Earth. That tethered approach, along with limited space to include large propulsion system, means the cryobot would likely be unable to venture much beyond the point where ice meets ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat if, after all those years it took to get into an ocean, you come through the ice shell in the wrong place? What if there\u2019s signs of life over there but not where you entered the ocean?\u201d said SWIM team scientist <a href=\"https:\/\/science.jpl.nasa.gov\/people\/showell\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Samuel Howell<\/a> of JPL, who also works on Europa Clipper. \u201cBy bringing these swarms of robots with us, we\u2019d be able to look \u2018over there\u2019 to explore much more of our environment than a single cryobot would allow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Howell compared the concept to NASA\u2019s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasas-mars-helicopter-reveals-intriguing-terrain-for-rover-team\" rel=\"noopener\">airborne companion<\/a> to the agency\u2019s Perseverance rover on the Red Planet. \u201cThe helicopter extends the reach of the rover, and the images it is sending back are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasas-mars-helicopter-scouts-ridgeline-for-perseverance-science-team\" rel=\"noopener\">context to help the rover understand<\/a> how to explore its environment,\u201d he said. \u201cIf instead of one helicopter you had a bunch, you would know a lot more about your environment. That\u2019s the idea behind SWIM.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SWIM would also allow data to be gathered away from the cryobot\u2019s blazing-hot nuclear battery, which the probe would rely on to melt a downward path through the ice. Once in the ocean, that heat from the battery would create a thermal bubble, slowly melting the ice above and potentially causing reactions that could change the water\u2019s chemistry, Schaler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, the SWIM robots could \u201cflock\u201d together in a behavior inspired by fish or birds, thereby reducing errors in data through their overlapping measurements. That group data could also show gradients: temperature or salinity, for example, increasing across the swarm\u2019s collective sensors and pointing toward the source of the signal they\u2019re detecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf there are energy gradients or chemical gradients, that\u2019s how life can start to arise. We would need to get upstream from the cryobot to sense those,\u201d Schaler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each robot would have its own propulsion system, onboard computer, and ultrasound communications system, along with simple sensors for temperature, salinity, acidity, and pressure. Chemical sensors to monitor for biomarkers \u2013 signs of life \u2013 will be part of Schaler\u2019s Phase II study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>More About NIAC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/spacetech\/niac\/index.html\">NIAC<\/a> is funded by NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for developing the new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities needed by the agency. The program fosters exploration by funding early-stage studies to evaluate technologies that could support future aeronautics and space missions. Researchers across U.S. government, industry, and academia with high-impact ideas can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/apply-to-niac\">submit proposals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Melissa Pamer<\/strong><br> Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br> 626-314-4928<br> <a href=\"mailto:melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov\">melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><br> 2022-094<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A concept in development at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory would allow potential planetary missions to chase interesting clues in subsurface oceans. Someday, a swarm of cellphone-size robots could whisk through the water beneath the miles-thick icy shell of Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa or Saturn\u2019s moon Enceladus, looking for signs of alien life. Packed inside a narrow [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":98062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3344,9437,9432,2860,2830,2661],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[8605,8612],"coauthors":[12651],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Swarm of Tiny Swimming Robots Could Look for Life on Distant Worlds","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/niac\/swarm-of-tiny-swimming-robots-could-look-for-life-on-distant-worlds\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/niac\/swarm-of-tiny-swimming-robots-could-look-for-life-on-distant-worlds\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Directorates","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jet Propulsion Laboratory"}],"creator":["Jet Propulsion Laboratory"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Technology","NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program","Enceladus","Europa","Jet Propulsion Laboratory","Robotics"],"dateCreated":"2022-06-28T19:00:00Z","datePublished":"2022-06-28T19:00:00Z","dateModified":"2023-09-07T22:22:45Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Swarm of Tiny Swimming Robots Could Look for Life on Distant Worlds\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/niac\/swarm-of-tiny-swimming-robots-could-look-for-life-on-distant-worlds\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2022-06-28T19:00:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Directorates\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Technology,NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program,Enceladus,Europa,Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Robotics\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Jet Propulsion Laboratory\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"time_ago":"2 years","featured_image":{"id":98062,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pia25313-1a-swim-1041.jpg","title":"pia25313-1a-swim-1041","alt":"","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94251"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94251"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":504151,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94251\/revisions\/504151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94251"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=94251"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=94251"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=94251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}