Overview

• NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has tested SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers) robots, designed to autonomously explore subsurface oceans on icy moons like Europa.
• The robots, roughly the size of a cellphone, are equipped with sensors to measure temperature, pressure, pH, and chemical composition, essential for detecting conditions that could support life.
• Initial tests in a swimming pool demonstrated the robots' maneuverability and ability to operate in a coordinated swarm for efficient data collection.
• The SWIM prototypes are constructed using cost-effective 3D-printed materials and are being refined to withstand the extreme environments of extraterrestrial oceans.
• NASA's Europa Clipper mission, set to arrive in 2030, will conduct flybys of Europa, and future missions may deploy the SWIM robots to explore its subsurface oceans in search of life.