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Robots can’t laugh, but the crowd never stopped when StarTalk Live went back to the Bell House for the 6th Annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival. Guests included Stephen Gorevan of Honeybee Robotics, the makers of robotic equipment used on NASA’s Mars Rovers, along with comedians W. Kamau Bell and Jason Sudeikis. In Part 1, host Neil deGrasse Tyson leads a conversation about robots and space exploration, from Voyager 1 to the Mars Opportunity, Spirit and Curiosity Rovers and beyond. You’ll learn what actually defines a robot, why some robots are built to mimic humans and others are built to perform certain tasks, and the benefits and drawbacks of using robots vs. people. You’ll also find out about the New Horizons mission to Pluto, Robonaut 2 on the ISS, and the plans to send a nuclear powered robotic mole to Jupiter’s moon, Europa, to dig through its icy surface to explore the ocean beneath.
NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: StarTalk Live: I, Robot (Part 1).
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