• Question: Can robots hug rocks??

    Asked by JimJames to Lucy on 10 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Lucy Kissick

      Lucy Kissick answered on 10 Mar 2017:

      Yes!! NASA’s rover Curiosity hugs rocks so hard inside its miniaturised chemical laboratory that they turn to gas and it can analyse what the rock is made of.

      NASA’s other rover Opportunity tries to hug rocks by drilling them with a rotating grinder on its arm… It is a slightly less proficient hugger, but still figures out what the rocks are made of by exposing unweathered surfaces.

Comments