Anglo American shrinks trading unit as part of major restructuring
The miner also announced internally that it will no longer enter into long-term deals to buy commodities that it doesn’t already produce.
NASA is developing a robotic concept vehicle for bulk loading and remote exploration.
Resembling a body-less six-legged spider, the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer, or ATHLETE for short, moves around on legs with wheels. The legs can can also lift up and down when the robot encounters steep terrain.
The vehicle is fully-equipped with a multitude of cameras and sensors so it can be driven remotely, avatar style.
NASA says ATHLETE stands to a maximum height of just over 4m (13 ft) and has a payload capacity of 450 kg (990 lb) in Earth gravity.
Every wheel has an independent motor, each acting as a type of Swiss Army Knife. Wheels can function as shovels, saws and grippers while the five other legs keep the robot steady.
Possible applications are missions to the moon, mars and even to asteroids.
But many of NASA’s best innovations have not stayed space-bound. The U.S. space program has brought us everything from enriched baby food to improved radial tires. Maybe automated field work would be another application.
5 Comments
Derec
QUE BONITO
Cniew
Geologists, as the saying goes: last hired, first fired. And now replaced!
Graciela
Very sad for us!! Replacement!!!
Jomboy
Replaced? it will never happen, believe me.
AuAgExplr
Good luck finding any ore. Mining companies being led by accountant CEO’s and hiring geologists trained in schools with little or no practical field oriented classes expect to find ore bodies with computer programs. So now some people will think even less real thinking is the answer? Maybe a reasonable idea for space exploration but a bad one for earth!