Robots on the Moon
Still disappointed in not having found a thriving robot race living on the moon upon our arrival, mankind now seeks to seed one. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Ansari X Prize (to build a privately funded craft that reaches a sub-orbit of 100 km twice in two weeks) that was won in 2004? It seems that the newest iteration, the Google Lunar X Prize, has the goal of putting robots on the moon!
“The Google Lunar X PRIZE is a $30 million competition for the first privately funded team to send a robot to the moon, travel 500 meters and transmit video, images and data back to the Earth.” (source) Why is this so awesome? Beyond the fact that it has to do with robots on the moon, this is a call to action to non-government entities, essentially people like you and me, to explore robotics. We at B4T think of the X Prize as a trend toward the future of Do-It-Yourselfery wherein the people of Earth, not just vast government agencies or faceless super-scientists, are asked to take part in furthering the human race. Such a program as the Google Lunar X Prize encourages everyone to recognize that he or she is capable of considering the great possibilities of robotics and space travel, and plants in him or her a knowledge that he or she may have that special spark of inspiration that cannot come from anyone else.
We will announce this competition to the kids taking part in our workshops, to show them that the cutting edge of robotics is attainable and open to everyone. Maybe they will be the submitters to the Martian X Prize, or the ones that put the finishing touches on artificial intelligence. With the proper beginning, and the drive to keep at it, these kids can do anything with robotics that they want to. More than ever before, robotic engineering opportunities are open to all!
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