NASA developing submarine drone to hunt underwater aliens on other planets
NASA scientists are testing a fleet of underwater drones that will allow them to explore oceans on other planets and moons.
The alien hunters have been working to improve the artificial intelligence of their submersible devices to help them complete scientific missions.
At the moment submersibles are mostly pre-programmed and are unable to make spontaneous decisions.
NASA scientists are working alongside researchers from Caltech, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Remote Sensing Solutions.
The organisations are joining forces to develop learning software for underwater drones.
The devices are currently programmed to seek out temperature and salinity shifts.
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They use forecasts delivered via satellite to plot their routes.
Their artificial intelligence allows them to observe changes in the ocean in real time.
Engineers now want to integrate real time planning with long term planning.
NASA and other space agencies hope to one day use underwater drones to explore oceans on moons and other planets.
Steve Chien, the head of the Artificial Intelligence Group at JPL, said: "Doing so would help us understand our own oceans - and maybe those on other planets".
The underwater drones could one day be used in
The moon is thought to have an ocean of liquid beneath its icy crust which would act as the right environment for life.
Currently NASA plan to send a spacecraft into orbit around Europa to performed "repeated close flybys".
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