Although it sounds like a movie, that in the future human beings colonize another planet is closer to reality. Today there are several projects that are actively working on the implementation of ideas that are supposed to bring the survival of human beings off planet Earth.
But as it is obvious, it is not so easy to make that outside our planet the basic needs that every human being needs are satisfied, so creativity is needed to be able to survive on a planet like Mars. The Robotics Construction Laboratory of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is developing a project that, if it goes ahead, could guarantee the comfort of people on the red planet.
3D printing, of vital importance
Zebro brand robots are expected to excavate a living space underground, using 3D printing as a vital element to solidify the walls. Although before this, we must answer several questions that remain on the table, such as whether humans can survive in a climate different from ours or how the structure should look to allow the colonization of Mars.
Currently it is no longer something new that human beings can travel to the Moon or Mars in rockets, but the fact of being able to stay in these territories for a long period of time is something that is being tried to achieve. In the case of Mars, no one could withstand the planet’s high levels of ionizing radiation or the radical temperature changes that exist. This is why researchers around the world are working to solve these problems that, if solved, will allow survival in extraterrestrial territories.
For the past few years, Delft University of Technology has been working on the development of Zebro robots, which will be able to dig tunnels under the surface of Mars. Zebro robots have been specially designed for the great environmental demands of the planet. For example, they have legs that allow them to navigate uneven surfaces such as rocks while moving. Furthermore, these robots also work autonomously and cooperatively.
These robots are classified as swarm robots. This means that they can communicate with each other and divide the tasks between them. For example, one group of Zebro robots will excavate the tunnels while another will implement 3D-printed structures to strengthen the walls.
Colonize other planets, a matter of time
The space in which people would live on Mars would be built in this way, resembling how ants build their ant hills. Because the temperature changes in underground territory are less noticeable, the underground living space could be suitable for possible colonization.
According to some experts, the colonization of the red planet is only a matter of time. Henriette Bier, founder and current director of the Robotics Construction Laboratory, says that it is very important to use resources that are already available on Mars. For the manufacture of the support structures, the Zebro robots will work with cement obtained from the dust and rock of the same planet.
The project team will receive a grant from the European Space Agency for the development of the project. In addition to this project, other robots similar to those that would help build the habitable support on Mars: the Lunar Zebro, will be sent on a mission to the Moon starting in 2022.