Episode 15 ︱Unleashing Self-Replicating Robots for a Sustainable Industrial Lunar Ecology with Alex Ellery

Will extraterrestrial, self-replicating robotic systems pave the way for building a sustainable industrial lunar ecology? 

Self-replicating robots are machines that replicate themselves using materials found in their environment. The concept of self-replicating systems has been around for decades, ever since the mathematician John Von Neumann proposed theoretical models in the 1950s. Since then, research toward developing and building self-replicating machines has evolved with advancements in robotics, 3D printing, and space exploration. 

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Now that NASA and other space agencies are focused on returning humans to the lunar surface, researchers like Professor Alex Ellery are developing new robotic systems capable of operating in extreme conditions like the moon. Ellery advocates for self-replicating robots, not as an eccentric, science fiction concept, but as a viable solution for creating a sustainable industrial lunar ecology, whereby precious lunar resources like ice and regolith are recycled and reused for successive, future generations.

Tune in now to find out why Professor Ellery stopped believing in ETs and started believing in self-replicating robots!