Abstract-- As natural access points to the subsurface, lava tubes and other caves have become premier targets of planetary missions for astrobiological analyses. Few existing robotic paradigms, however, are able to explore such challenging environments. ReachBot is a robot that enables navigation in planetary caves by using extendable and retractable limbs to locomote. This paper outlines the potential science return and mission operations for a notional mission that deploys ReachBot to a martian lava tube. In this work, the motivating science goals and science traceability matrix are provided to guide payload selection.

CES isn't as consumer-focused as it once was, despite the overt branding. But there's still consumer tech news to be had, fortunately. Case in point: Nanoleaf, the brand behind the iconic wall-mounted, geometric LED lighting, is introducing an array of products this week to showcase its latest technical innovations. First up is the Sense Controls, which Nanoleaf is calling its first "learning smart light switches." The lineup of devices -- which comprises the hardwired Smart Light Switch, Wireless Smart Light Switch and Nala Learning Bridge -- work with Matter, the smart home interoperability protocol, and run on the low-power mesh networking standard Thread.

The world's oceans are critically important to life on Earth. They produce at least 50% of the planet's oxygen, absorb about 30% of the carbon dioxide produced by humans, and their biodiversity can also help protect against the effects of climate change. Millions of people's daily lives are dependent on our oceans -- over 3 billion people rely on fish as a primary source of protein, and 60 million people are directly employed by the fishing industry. The health of our oceans is at significant risk. Pollution, global warming, and overfishing are just some of the threats to this critical life source.

Construction work is currently underway on a new artificial intelligence research laboratory designed by PLP Architecture. Located in Shanghai, China, the building's overall form is inspired by a computer motherboard and CPU. The Shanghai World Laureates Association Artificial Intelligence Lab is part of a Lingang New Area district in the city that will host research and innovation, which also happens to be where the Ring project by Ennead Architects is being constructed. The building will be situated next to a lake and feature extensive landscaping. Its interior will measure 32,000 sq m (roughly 344,000 sq ft), which will be spread over the two distinct "motherboard" and "CPU" areas.

Fine as talcum powder, sharp as glass and seemingly everywhere, these super-fine particles coated the astronauts like soot and permeated their crew cabin, where it became more than a mere nuisance. Not only did it interfere with their equipment, it irritated their nostrils and eyes, giving some a mild allergic reaction. Nevertheless, between 1969 and 1972, Apollo astronauts brought back nearly 385 kilograms of lunar rock, pebbles and powder back to earth. Today, NASA deems interplanetary dust and dirt -- also known as regolith -- one of the greatest risks to long-term space settlements. On the Moon, it wears away at multi-million-dollar instruments and lodges into the slightest crevasses, weakening seals on pressure suits and causing hardware to malfunction.

New research from Stanford and Google has shown that it's possible artificial intelligence software may be getting too clever. The neural network, called CycleGAN, was trained to transform aerial images into street maps, then back into aerial images. Researchers were surprised when they discovered that details omitted in the final product reappeared when they told the AI to revert back to the original image. For example, skylights on a roof that were absent from the final product suddenly reappeared when they returned to the original image, according to TechCrunch. 'CycleGAN learns to "hide" information about a source image into the images it generates in a nearly imperceptible, high-frequency signal,' the study states.

Netatmo is known for connected home products like the Presence AI-assisted security camera that can tell crooks from coyotes, but for CES, it's expanding into a new niche: built-in products. On top of a new smoke alarm and siren, the company has teamed up with French companies Velux and Legrand on AI-equipped in-wall smart switches, power outlets, skylights and blinds. On the consumer side, Netatmo launched the Smart Smoke Alarm (above) as an addition to its home security and monitoring lineup. Much like the Nest Protect, it sounds an 85 decibel alarm when it detects smoke, but also sends a real-time alert to your smartphone. That's accompanied by a message like "smoke detected in the kitchen," telling you where, exactly, the problem is.

Moon caves could provide shelter for astronauts exploring Earth's nearest neighbor, researchers say. A new analysis of data gathered by NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft, which mapped the moon's gravitational field in unprecedented detail, turned up a number of new candidates for lava tubes -- cave-like structures that could be large enough to house supplies and astronauts. Space is a harsh environment. Radiation from the sun, galactic cosmic rays and constantly falling micrometeorites all present a threat to human explorers. "A lava tube provides a safe haven from all these hazardous environmental conditions," study team member Rohan Sood, a graduate student at Purdue University in Indiana, told Space.com.