MIT's microwave-sized box could be the future of space construction.
(Photo : Photo by NASA via Getty Images)
In this NASA handout image taken from the International Space Station, Hurricane Ian moves through the Caribbean Sea on September 26, 2022 just south of Cuba. The storm is expected to bring a potentially life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds.
For the past few years, government-backed and independent space agencies experienced various limitations that prevent them from exploring the deeper areas of outer space.
These include constructing massive parts that are impossible to produce on Earth.
With the development of MIT's new tech, this scenario could change.
MIT's Microwave-Sized Box
According to Washington Post's latest report, the 45-day experiment of MIT's microwave-sized box was completed on Friday, Jan. 6.
(Photo : Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)
A Soyuz MS-20 space craft is seen on a monitor after undocking from the the International Space Station (ISS), starting the landing of the International space crew including Japanese space tourists Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, at Mission Control Center in Korolyov, outside Moscow, early on December 20, 2021.
Also Read: MIT Researchers Discover A New, Faster AI Using Liquid Neural Neurons
It is expected to return to Earth this weekend. Once this happens, scientists will evaluate and examine the parts constructed during the 45-day experiment.
Ariel Ekblaw, the Space Exploration Initiative's founder, said that MIT's innovation could modify and construct space labs with less complexity.
He added that the box could do this quicker and cheaper compared to the conventional construction methods used to create space stations.
"It starts to unlock more opportunities for exploration," stated Ekblaw.
How MIT's Box Works
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched its microwave-sized box on November 23, 2022.
PopSci reported that this tech works by injecting a liquid resin into silicone skins, allowing needed space station parts to be completed faster.
MIT Engineer Martin Nisser said this process is similar to how balloons are made, and all of these happen inside the microwave-sized box.
As of writing, more tests are still needed to be conducted before the new tech is applied to actual space-based constructions.
Aside from being a less complex construction method, Nisser also said that the materials--resin and silicone skin are commercially available products on Earth.
If you want to learn more details about it, you can click this link.
Aside from the new microwave-sized box, MIT is also busy with its other innovations.
Previously, MIT's new stimulation training allowed its Mini Cheetah robot to enhance speed.
We also reported that MIT is working on a new AI-powered robot that works like nanobots.
For more news updates about MIT and its other robotic techs, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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