The October 2023 issue of IEEE Spectrum is here!

Close bar
IEEE Spectrum
FOR THE TECHNOLOGY INSIDER

Topics

AerospaceArtificial IntelligenceBiomedicalClimate TechComputingConsumer ElectronicsEnergyHistory of TechnologyRoboticsSemiconductorsTelecommunicationsTransportation

Sections

FeaturesNewsOpinionCareersDIYEngineering Resources

More

NewslettersPodcastsSpecial ReportsCollectionsExplainersTop Programming LanguagesRobots Guide ↗IEEE Job Site ↗

For IEEE Members

Current IssueMagazine ArchiveThe InstituteTI Archive

For IEEE Members

Current IssueMagazine ArchiveThe InstituteTI Archive

IEEE Spectrum

About UsContact UsReprints & Permissions ↗Advertising ↗

Follow IEEE Spectrum

Support IEEE Spectrum

IEEE Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE — the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences. Our articles, podcasts, and infographics inform our readers about developments in technology, engineering, and science.
Join IEEE
Subscribe
JOIN IEEESIGN IN
Close

Access Thousands of Articles — Completely Free

Create an account and get exclusive content and features: Save articles, download collections, and talk to tech insiders — all free! For full access and benefits, join IEEE as a paying member.

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

A Robot to Mine the Moon
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.

The Conversation (0)

Trending Stories

The most-read stories on IEEE Spectrum right now

Artificial IntelligenceTopicTypeNewsConsumer Electronics

ChatGPT’s New Upgrade Teases AI’s Multimodal Future

EnergyTopicAerospaceTypeNews

DARPA Hopes to Beam Power Across 200 Kilometers

EnergyTopicTypeNewsClimate Tech

For Sustainable Batteries, Just Add a Pinch of Salt

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

6:56
360 Video: Zoom Over Zanzibar With Tanzania’s Drone Startups
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.

Keep Reading ↓Show less
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

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

Keep Reading ↓Show less
DIYTopicTypeVideo

A Techie’s Tour of New York City

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

A Techie’s Tour of New York City
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