****

A fleet of small robots, intended to search for life on distant celestial bodies, has begun its mission in an Earth-based swimming pool. The SWIM robots (Sensing With Independent Microswimmers) recently showcased their adept maneuverability in tests conducted at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

These miniature, wedge-shaped robots, powered by propellers, successfully navigated themselves, maintaining their course, and executed complex patterns, including a back-and-forth "lawnmower" sweep. Impressively, they even spelled out "J-P-L" during tests, as shared by NASA. The design and evaluation of these robots are being carried out by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), with hopes that they will eventually search for signs of life in the ocean beneath the icy crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Ethan Schaler, the project's principal investigator at JPL, addressed the rationale behind developing such underwater robots for space exploration. "There are places we want to go in the solar system to look for life, and we think life needs water," explained Schaler. Future missions will require autonomous robots capable of exploring these distant, watery environments, potentially hundreds of millions of miles from Earth.

The new prototypes are constructed from 3D-printed plastics, assembled with affordable, commercially available motors and electronics. Future designs will include wireless underwater communication systems for data transmission and position triangulation in the oceans of remote icy moons. Currently, the pool-tested robot measures about 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) in length, but the team envisions reducing its size to around 5 inches (12 centimeters), comparable to a cellphone.

During the 20 rounds of pool testing, the robot was tethered to a fishing line for easy retrieval, highlighting the complexities of operating underwater robots. Schaler emphasized that while these initial designs are promising, many challenges remain in preparing for an actual extraterrestrial mission.

Engineers are also using computer simulations to test SWIM robots under conditions mimicking the pressure and gravity of Europa. This iterative process of sending virtual robots into these simulated environments aims to refine their design and enhance their capabilities to collect scientific data in unexplored terrains.