MIT develops configurable robots for space applications

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In this edition, we are discussing?how MIT's configurable robots can be mixed and matched for tasks in space, how the UK is investing over $3 million in Rolls Royce’s Moon nuclear reactor and how asteroid Didymos is sending rocks flying into outer space. As always, we have five more stories to pick your curiosity.

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When we finally get to space, we will need a variety of robots to help us survive. MIT took this idea to the next level by introducing mix-and-match robots that can be assembled into countless configurations useful for different tasks.

The new systems are called WORMS, for the Walking Oligomeric Robotic Mobility System. According to a press release by MIT published on Tuesday, they could revolutionize how we approach space robotics.

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) said on Friday it would invest a significant amount in Rolls-Royce's project to produce nuclear power on the moon.

In a statement, the UKSA outlined how researchers from Rolls-Royce had been working on a Micro-Reactor program "to develop technology that will provide the power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon."

Gone are the days when we believed asteroids to be just large rocks hanging out in space. As space exploration has progressed, we have come to note that they are much more complex than that.

A great example of this is the asteroid Didymos, which according to a new study published on Monday, is literally spitting rocks into outer space due to the excessive speeds at which it is spinning.