Speed Philippines – July 2019

TECH FRONTIERS

12 JULY 2019

SOUTH KOREA’S BIOBOTS DRAW INSPIRATION FROM NATURE

SHE’S A GODDESS!

R

WORDS

ANTONIO JOSE GALAURAN

One small step for man woman,

a giant leap for mankind. This phrase

seems to be more appropriate

now as the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration (NASA)

launches its latest project: have

the first woman step on the moon

by 2024. NASA coined its newest

venture as Artemis, after the

Greek goddess of the moon who

also happens to be the twin sister

of Apollo.

Apollo, as we all know, was the name

used by the spacecraft piloted by

the first men on the moon back in

1969. NASA is looking to repeat the
      historic leap—this time, however,
      with a female astronaut on-board.
      The latest moon exploration also
      targets a different area, particularly,
      the Moon’s South Pole, a region said
      to be filled with interesting moon
      rocks to study.

For now, NASA has requested a $1.

billion budget for the project. But

there is no certainty yet whether the

U.S. Congress will approve the whole

amount. Nevertheless, a plan is

currently underway to get the project

moving. A space station named

Gateway or lunar Gateway is being

designed to orbit the moon and serve

as launching pad for future missions

to the lunar surface.

BATTLE BOTS, ASSEMBLE!

EMEMBER WHEN ANIME SHOWS LIKE ZOIDS FEATURED ROBOTIC

animals battlingfor domination? Those beastly bots from our childhood may soon make its

way into modern warfare.

South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) made this announcement as part

of its program to incorporate “biomimetics” equipment into military operations. Biomimetics involves

developing technology that mimics and draws inspiration from nature and real world environments.

But fret not! These biobots aren’t the humanoid combatant robots we think of when we say

“army.” They’ll look more like animals—such as birds, snakes, insects, and marine creatures—

but not exactly the assassin kind such as robotic poisonous snakes or killer bugs. Rather, they’ll be

primarily used for surveillance, reconnaissance missions, undercover operations, or even life-saving

roles during emergency. Of course, they can be potentially used for land, sea, and air combat if the

need arises.

The new robots are targeted to be deployed for military use by the South Korean government by 2024.

This sudden pivot toward technology for military use is also a response to the country’s falling birthrate; with

biobots deployed, it is hoped that fewer men undergo mandatory national service in the army or air force.