Did you know Neural is taking the stage this fall? Together with an amazing line-up of experts, we will explore the future of AI during TNW Conference 2021. NASA has added a pair of interactive experiences to the enthralling array of sights and sounds generated from the Mars 2020 mission. The new tools let you explore the planet from the comfort of your home. In one, called "Explore with Perseverance," you can follow the voyage of NASA's car-shaped rover through a 3D simulation of the planet.

The result is a newly-unveiled machine that they've dubbed Leonardo, … Part bipedal robot, part aerial drone, the hybridized machine was inspired by … and grow increasingly fast and stable as machine learning algorithms improve …

The biggest knock against sending robots to explore the solar system for signs of life has always been their inability to make intuitive, even creative decisions as effectively as humans can. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) promise to narrow that gap soon--which is a good thing, because there are no immediate plans to send people to explore Mars's subterranean caves or search for hydrothermal vents below Europa's icy waters. For the foreseeable future those roles will likely be filled by nearly autonomous rovers and submarines that can withstand hostile conditions and conduct important science experiments, even when out of contact with Earth for weeks or even months. When Steve Chien took over NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Group in the mid-1990s, such sophisticated AI seemed more like science fiction than something destined to play a crucial role to the success of NASA's upcoming 2020 mission to Mars. Chien had a vision to make the technology an indispensable part of NASA's biggest missions.

SpaceVR has been working to exploring space in virtual reality for long, but the company has come out recently with a new idea -- exploring space using robots controlled from the earth and actually getting a real-world feel of space in virtual reality. The company was founded in 2015 and is currently working on providing users real space videos from Mars captured using 360-degree cameras in VR. It is run by a board consisting of a former astronaut, space enthusiasts, and scientists. While human settlement on planets such as Mars might be a far-fetched dream, exploring the planet with the help of robots operated from earth seems like a much more practical approach at least for now. While robots like Mars Rover have already explored the planet, the concept proposed by SpaceVR actually replicates movements of humans.

NASA researchers are developing origami-inspired robots that could soon be used to explore extreme alien environments. The Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robots, or Puffers, have a collapsible design and are small enough to hitch a ride on another craft, such as a Mars rover or Europa lander. According to the space agency, these adorable robots will be able to reach areas that the larger vehicles cannot, allowing them to investigate caves and lava tubes on Mars, or the icy'chaos terrains' of Europa. NASA researchers are developing origami-inspired robots that could soon be used to explore extreme alien environments. Not only are these bots similar in size to a smartphone when folded, they also have a comparable weight and volume.

Before our species set foot on the moon, we orbited it first. The same will probably be true for Mars, and on Wednesday, Lockheed Martin plans to unveil its vision for a spacecraft that could make it happen. The "Mars Base Camp," as the company is calling it, would set up a laboratory, staffed by 6 astronauts, in Mars orbit in 2028. Up to now, NASA has outlined the first few steps to Mars. It's building a heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), and working with Lockheed to build the Orion crew capsule.