A team of engineers from Cornell University has won a US$100,000 grant from NASA to develop a squid- or lamprey-like autonomous robot that could explore the harsh and unknown conditions in Europa's subsurface ocean.

Europa, one of the many moons of Jupiter, is a very promising address in the solar system for those who say it's possible we'll find life beyond Earth right here in the Milky Way.

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The soft, flexible marine rover would only use resources in its extraterrestrial environment to power itself through the water. Without having to rely on its own battery or other fuel source sent from Earth, or hard-to-come-by solar energy, the robot would use its electrodynamic tentacles to harvest energy from changing magnetic fields around it. It would also electrolyze water, breaking in up into its constituents, oxygen and hydrogen, which it would store and ignite in its body and limbs. The gas would expand and deflate chambers that would create a natural swimming motion to propel the robot forward.

"This robotic concept is inspired by terrestrial biology, and may help us understand how creatures in an environment like Europa's ocean could gather energy to sustain life," said team leader Mason Peck, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell.

Cornell robot bears a stronger resemblance to another, more ancient underwater creature found on Earth: a lamprey. Lampreys are simple, eel-like creatures that have changed little in hundreds of thousands of years. They're living fossils. Shepherd said the idea to base the rover on a lamprey came from the advice of an evolutionary biologist at Cornell, William Bemis.

Peck explained that the robot could also be outfitted with a stretchy luminescent skin that could light up its immediate surroundings, like a wearable flash for optimal picture taking.

Last year, NASA earmarked US$15 million to start planning a mission to Europa. No date has yet been set, but a program could be launched in the mid-2020s.

TagsCornell Eel-like Robot May Possibly Explore Europa Moon, Jupiter, Europa, moon, eel-like robot, Robotics, space exploration, Europa's subsurface ocean