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      AerospaceTopicTypeSpecial ReportsVideo

      A Robot to Mine the Moon

      In a Brooklyn warehouse, Honeybee Robotics is developing a lunar excavator that may help us colonize the moon

      Erico Guizzo
      Rosaleen Ortiz
      31 Jul 2009
      robotic explorationtype:videolunar colonyMoonrobotsminingroverspaceHoneybee Robotics

      IEEE Spectrum visits a warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Honeybee Robotics, a space technology company, is developing a next-generation rover to excavate and mine the lunar surface. The robot may be used in future NASA missions to retrieve soil samples. It may also help humans to colonize the moon one day.

      Conventional digging machinery might be to clunky to operate on the moon. So Honeybee came up with a completely new approach to mining. Its robot uses gas to push lunar dirt into the rover’s storage compartment. The material could be used for construction of roads, or mined for oxygen. But first, Honeybee needs to test its prototype, using a massive vacuum chamber at the Brooklyn warehouse.

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      RoboticsTopicTypeSpecial ReportsVideo

      360 Video: Zoom Over Zanzibar With Tanzania’s Drone Startups

      Come along for the ride as drones soar over the farms and schools of Tanzania

      Evan Ackerman

      Evan Ackerman is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Since 2007, he has written over 6,000 articles on robotics and technology. He has a degree in Martian geology and is excellent at playing bagpipes.

      Michael Koziol

      Michael Koziol is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum where he covers everything telecommunications. He graduated from Seattle University with bachelor's degrees in English and physics, and earned his master's degree in science journalism from New York University.

      Eliza Strickland

      Eliza Strickland is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum, where she covers AI, biomedical engineering, and other topics. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

      09 May 2019
      6:56
      Photo: IEEE Spectrum
      dronesgadgetstype:videoEast Africa dronesmappingTanzaniaAfricadelivery drones360 video

      With 360-degree video, IEEE Spectrum puts you aboard drones that are flying high above the Tanzanian landscape: You’ll ride along as drones soar above farms, towns, and the blue expanse of Lake Victoria. You’ll also meet the local entrepreneurs who are creating a new industry, finding applications for their drones in land surveying and delivery. And you’ll get a close-up view from a bamboo grove as a drone pilot named Bornlove builds a flying machine from bamboo and other materials.

      You can follow the action in a 360-degree video in three ways: 1) Watch on your computer, using your mouse to click and drag on the video; 2) watch on your phone, moving the phone around to change your view; or 3) watch on a VR headset for the full immersive experience.

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      RoboticsTopicTypeSpecial ReportsVideo

      360 Video: Go on a Mission With Zipline’s Delivery Drones

      Immerse yourself in the action as Zipline catapults its drones into the Rwandan sky

      Evan Ackerman

      Evan Ackerman is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Since 2007, he has written over 6,000 articles on robotics and technology. He has a degree in Martian geology and is excellent at playing bagpipes.

      Michael Koziol

      Michael Koziol is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum where he covers everything telecommunications. He graduated from Seattle University with bachelor's degrees in English and physics, and earned his master's degree in science journalism from New York University.

      Eliza Strickland

      Eliza Strickland is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum, where she covers AI, biomedical engineering, and other topics. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

      06 May 2019
      IEEE Spectrum
      dronestype:videoEast Africa dronesRwandadelivery dronesZipline360 video

      With 360 video, IEEE Spectrum takes you behind the scenes with one of the world’s first drone-delivery companies. Zipline, based in California, is using drones to deliver blood to hospitals throughout Rwanda. At an operations center in Muhanga, you’ll watch as Zipline technicians assemble the modular drones, fill their cargo holds, and launch them via catapult. You’ll see a package float down from the sky above a rural hospital, and you’ll get a closeup look at Zipline’s ingenious method for capturing returning drones.

      You can follow the action in a 360-degree video in three ways: 1) Watch on your computer, using your mouse to click and drag on the video; 2) watch on your phone, moving the phone around to change your view; or 3) watch on a VR headset for the full immersive experience.

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      DIYTopicTypeVideo

      A Techie’s Tour of New York City

      Here are some NYC attractions that you won’t find in the guidebooks

      Stephen Cass

      Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum. He currently helms Spectrum's Hands On column, and is also responsible for interactive projects such as the Top Programming Languages app. He has a bachelor's degree in experimental physics from Trinity College Dublin.

      17 Oct 2018
      A Techie's Tour Of NYC
      www.youtube.com
      type:videoNew York CityDIYtourismvideosrocketsNikola Teslahistorytechnologyeventshackerspacenew york citynikola teslanyc tourist videonyc tourist guidetech tour nycvideonyc tech tour

      Do your travel plans include New York City? Are you a techie? If the answer to those questions is yes, let IEEE Spectrum be your guide! We've put together a list of some of our favorite places to visit, including important locations in the history of electrotechnology (New York was once the center of the electrical and electronic world) and places where fun and interesting things are happening today. See where Nikola Tesla lived, check out cutting-edge artists working with technology, or take the kids to see an Atlas and Titan rocket.

      All the locations are accessible via the subway, and many are free to visit. If you do visit, take a selfie and post a link in the comments below.

      Keep Reading ↓Show less
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      © Copyright 2023 IEEE — All rights reserved. A not-for-profit organization, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.