CNN's 'Tech for Good' examines the 'out-of-this-world' advances that will revolutionize space exploration

HONG KONG, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 'final frontier' has never been more accessible than it is now, with cutting-edge design and innovative technology ushering in a new era of space exploration, driven by the next generation of inventors from around the world.

In the latest episode of 'Tech for Good', CNN anchor and correspondent, Kristie Lu Stout, joins university students who are thinking outside the box and envisioning a future outside the confines of Earth – through initiatives encompassing everything from 'swarm' rovers to reusable rockets.

Criss-crossing the globe, the episode's first stop lands in Japan where students from Tohoku University and Keio University have been collaborating on the ARES 7 Mars development rover, designed to navigate the rough Martian terrain and complete with an advanced robotic arm to collect rock and soil samples, among other capabilities. In a testament to the power of co-operation, the project has been an inter-disciplinary success story bringing together 40 students from various fields including engineering, computer science and biology to develop the rover from the ground up.

Next, Switzerland provides the scenic backdrop for the NICOLLIER project, brainchild of ARIS, a student-led organization at ETH Zurich, which is revolutionizing the concept of reusable rockets through its unique recovery system. To bring the rockets back down to earth safely, an algorithm has been created that will be able to steer their re-entry parachutes in real time, enabling them to land at a pre-determined location. Join the team in the Swiss Alps as they drop a test rocket from a helicopter 1,000 meters above the ground!

Finally, it's off to Montreal, Canada, where robots literally have each other's backs. Students at Polytechnique Montréal have devised 'backpacks' that can attach to robots of all different shapes, sizes and abilities to harness the power of the 'swarm'. By working as a unit, a 'swarm' of robots can cover more ground, utilize each other's individual design strengths and also step-in in case one breaks down. With testing ongoing at the Canadian Space Agency's 'Mars Yard', the hope is that this technology could one day be used to explore Mars or the moon. 

Tech for Good trailer: http://bit.ly/3Xq5pmJ
Tech for Good images: https://bit.ly/3XtVIFf
Tech for Good microsite: https://cnn.it/3PB5DSq

Airtimes for 30-minute special:

Saturday, 28^th September at 4:30pm HKT
Sunday, 29^th September at 11am HKT
Monday, 30^th September at 3:30am and 10am HKT

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source: CNN International