Cycle Projects

Autonomous Life Investigation

The Life in the Atacama project develops techniques to search for life in extreme environments on Earth and beyond. This field, called robotic astrobiology, searches for clues about how life may develop in the universe. The search begins on Earth. We probe the limits of life in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest desert on Earth. Organisms that call the Atacama home are subjected to high levels of ultraviolet radiation and must survive on only tiny amounts of water. Our rover, called Zoe, uses science instruments to detect these organisms. Zoe operates autonomously like a robot exploring Mars, communicating with a science team in Pittsburgh only twice per day.

To learn more, visit the project webpage