NASA is advancing a mission concept involving a swarm of tiny underwater robots aimed at exploring subsurface oceans on icy moons such as Europa and Enceladus. This initiative, known as SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers), features dozens of self-propelled, cellphone-sized robots designed to detect chemical and temperature signals indicative of potential life.
Recent tests conducted at Caltech in Pasadena, California, demonstrated the robots' ability to autonomously navigate and adjust their course. Notably, they successfully spelled out “JPL” during these trials.
The primary prototype measured approximately 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) in length and weighed 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms). For space missions, the design aims to reduce the size to about one-third of the current prototype, making them significantly smaller than existing remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles.
Led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the SWIM project has been supported by NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, under the Space Technology Mission Directorate. Development of the project commenced in spring 2021 and is slated to continue until fall 2024.