admin The Exobiological Life Existing Surveyor (EELS) aims to explore uncharted terrain in search of evidence of extraterrestrial life.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing a snake-like robot, the Exogenous Existing Life Survey (EELS), to traverse various terrains and uncover evidence of extraterrestrial life. . But what is NASA’s robotic snake, aka EELS?
Essentially, EELS serves as a multi-tool platform designed to study internal topographic structures, assess habitability, and ultimately look for signs of life. Its adaptability allows it to navigate landscapes inspired by ocean worlds, fluid environments, labyrinth-like environments, and closed liquids, making it a robotic explorer capable of detecting life in areas where current robotics technologies cannot reach. . NASA’s EELS snake robot:
A fearsome space explorer
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing EELS, a robotic snake designed to navigate different terrain and look for signs of life. JPL Principal Investigator R. Hiro Ono envisions EELS exploring holes, caves and cracks throughout the solar system, reaching areas previously inaccessible to robots, such as information systems. wind on the moon freezes Saturn, Enceladus.
Nature-inspired design for versatility
Dr. Mathew Robinson, project leader, explained that the design of the EELS was inspired by snakes’ ability to navigate difficult terrain. This versatile platform could be used by future astronauts on the Artemis mission to investigate dangerous locations, such as craters and lunar lava tubes, that could jeopardize operations human exploration. Test EELS on Earth
The snake-like robot has been tested inside the Athabasca glacier and Mount Meager volcano in Canada. These expeditions are made possible through the Trebek Initiative, a partnership between the Royal Geographical Society of Canada and National Geographic.
