Robots Searching for Life on Saturn’s Moon with Matt Travers

About This Episode

Could we use robots to explore the oceans of Enceladus? In this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Harrison Greenbaum dive deep into the EELS Project, an effort to send a snake-like robot to Saturn’s moon Enceladus with Matthew Travers, a roboticist at the Biorobotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University.

What comes to mind when you think of robots? We explore how the gap between science fiction and reality is closing faster than you might think. We discuss the ethics of robotics and whether we should name robots. Should robots resemble lifeforms, or should they be designed purely for function? Discover the engineering challenges of creating robots with multiple degrees of freedom, like those with six legs, and the complications that come with increased control and articulation.

Learn about the EEL Project, an effort to send a snake-like robot to Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This robot, designed to navigate the treacherous geysers and sinkholes of Enceladus, will be tasked with exploring subsurface oceans and collecting samples. WE explore the intricate design of the robot, built with eight segments and 16 motors to ensure redundancy and reliability on this daring mission.

Tune in to discover how engineers are pushing the boundaries of robotics, working alongside NASA, and tackling some of the most complex challenges in space exploration. Plus, get a cosmic perspective on why robots in movies might be more unimaginative than you think and why a tandem review of robot morality is essential as we venture further into this technological frontier.

Thanks to our Patrons Sam Gmail, Juraj Petrovic, Teresina Rojas, Nichole Buck, Don, Jeremy Berry, Antonio Johnson, Mike Feinberg, AGM-Prism✦, Micheal Brown, and Jason Lie for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.