Researchers in China develop AI-powered robot to produce oxygen on Mars
A team of scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, led by Jun Jiang, has created a robotic chemist with artificial intelligence capable of extracting oxygen from the water present on Mars, using only resources from the red planet. The results of their study have been published in the journal Nature Synthesis.
The AI chemical robot uses a machine learning model to identify a catalyst that produces an oxygen-generating chemical reaction in Martian conditions, which can reach as low as -37 degrees Celsius. To find this catalyst, the system analyzed five meteorites with compositions similar to those of the Martian surface, identifying elements such as iron, nickel, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, and manganese. The machine experimented with more than 3.7 million compounds before determining the most effective, being able to perform tasks that would take a human 2,000 years to complete in just six weeks.
This advance is a significant milestone in space exploration, as it would reduce dependence on carrying oxygen from Earth, USA Today noted.
The research provided a way to generate breathable air on Mars, where the atmosphere contains minimal amounts of oxygen and there is a large presence of water, mostly in the form of ice.
The project parallels other efforts, such as NASA’s MOXIE experiment, which has already demonstrated the production of oxygen from the carbon dioxide-rich air of Mars aboard the Perseverance rover. These innovations are crucial to supporting future manned missions to the Red Planet and establishing sustainable human presence on it.
NASA seeks to harness space destination materials as part of human space exploration and has resumed lunar missions with its Artemis program. It plans to send astronauts to the Moon in 2025 as a springboard for future missions to Mars. Experiments like the AI chemical robot and MOXIE could be valuable tools for survival and exploration outside of Earth, SyFy highlighted.
NASA is dedicated to the goal of sending humans to Mars as part of its space exploration. This effort is due to several reasons, mainly the search for signs of past or present life, since Mars had conditions similar to those of Earth with liquid water on its surface. Investigating its geological and climatic history can reveal crucial data about the evolution of the planets and the solar system.
Mars is also a testing ground for technological advances that would benefit life on our planet. Additionally, human presence on Martian soil could serve as a basis for deeper space exploration, stimulating the economy, and encouraging future generations to become interested in scientific and technological careers.