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NASA Robots and Rovers At Play In the Desert
Geoffrey.landis writes "Robots and rovers will be running around in the desert in the NASA Desert RATS ('Research and Technology Studies') test in Arizona, including the heavy-lift rover 'All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer,' or ATHLETE. (See videos from newscientist.com). Some NASA robots from an earlier field test of robotic lunar excavators can be seen on video from the NASA page."
is exactly what NASA should be doing. RD to develop systems for off-world exploration and sciences. If we really do privatize Launch and hopefully human capabilities, we can allow NASA to go back to what they did in the 60's; RD new ideas/concepts and push the boundaries of science.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
"Martha, git me gun. I spotted one of them metallic Martian dogs again sniffing 'round a cactus. Everyone knows Martian dog pee is pure poison."
Table-ized A.I.
The acronym or what it stands for? I always wondered that. Maybe companys and organizations have a whole team of people who's sole job is to brainstorm cool acronyms and then figure out words to fit.
Anyway, I still think this exercise would be cool to watch.
Agreed, on many levels. You're completely right that this is a stalking horse.
On the other hand, if we're going to fight wars where we pacify populations then this is a much cheaper way to do it, in the long run, then the current way.
(I was about to say "pointless wars where we pacify populations" but you know, even though the one(s) we're in have been badly mismanaged by a pack of morons and at least one of them we had no business getting into at all, that doesn't mean that pacifying a country is always a pointless, devastating, callous exercise. Almost always, but not completely so.)
Besides, out of the killer robots which roam the countryside killing every biped or vehicle in a neutral zone will come better bots to clean our floors, install solar panels, manufacture AND install stuff, etc.
HG wells makes the point in _The Food of the Gods_ that every, EVERY technology gets used, no matter how annoying or absurd the consequences. And specifically every tech is ultimately used for war. HG Wells was right on so many things it's scary.
But will they become self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time on August 29th and threaten humanity?
I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
Processing speed is not the issue at hand. Energy management basically requires these things to move slowly, in order to achieve the mission goals set forth. Regardless of the CPU, simulations like these are limited to roughly twelve hours of sunlight as the power source. You could design a robot to move very quickly, but the energy expended to increase speed would not be beneficial to the overall aim of the project. Take the Mars Pathfinder mission into consideration. Over the course of around 2000 hours, the rover took over 17000 pictures and travelled about 100 meters. It didn't move quickly, but achieved what it set out to do.
0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
That's so you can finish watching them before their server is slashdotted.
Table-ized A.I.
I was involved in the project designing them, so I have to bring your attention to the wheels, which are adapted from Michelin's Tweel design, using metals rather than rubbers which cannot take the vast temperature ranges seen on the lunar surface. Its a spoke based system that is unique in that it accomplishes a uniform pressure on the contact area without the need for any sort of pressurization or air. And while the wire coil wheels used on the original lunar rover had a service life of weeks, these are intended to last years, so that the Athlete's can just roam around the moon, meeting manned missions at whatever landing site they'll be using.
Common Sense isn't as Common as people think...
Clearly, NASA employs a Department of ACRONYMS:
Artfully Coded & Readable Operative Names, Yielding Mnemonic Sentences.