Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Scientists Exiling Robots to Lonely, Desolate Work Camps

by Warren Riddle on September 7, 2009 at 07:20 AM


When scientists need to research a frigid, barren wasteland so inhospitable that humans stand no chance of survival, what do they do? Dispatch enslaved, persecuted, and voiceless robots, of course. With its excessively dry climate, low wind, and low atmospheric turbulence, Antarctica provides ideal star-gazing opportunities, but its negative-130-degree temperatures and geographical inaccessibility obviously make the job incredibly difficult for people.

Last year, under the leadership of the Polar Research Institute of China, scientists in Antarctica constructed the automated PLATeau Observatory (PLATO), a research station equipped with seven telescopes. Because of the success of PLATO, the National Science Foundation is constructing another unmanned, robot-controlled astronomical viewing station in an area known as Ridge A.


According to Wired, Ridge A offers unparalleled views of the stars, due to the darkness and dryness of it skies. Astronomer Will Saunders, of the Anglo-Australian Observatory, told Wired that a "modestly-sized telescope there would be as powerful as the largest telescopes anywhere else on Earth," and would cost a minute fraction of what it would take to launch similarly effective cameras or telescopes into orbit.

Since NASA and other scientific organizations often receive criticism for complex and extravagant projects, it's refreshing to see scientists construct more economically reasonable, yet still beneficial, facilities. And, since there will be no humans against whom to revolt, the lonely, freezing robots won't pose much of a threat. [From: Wired, via Gizmodo]

Tags: Antarctica, astronomy, nasa, National Science Foundation, NationalScienceFoundation, Plateau observatory, PlateauObservatory, PLATO, robot, robots, space, top

Comments

5

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular