In the midst of the current global circumstances, our Scientific Director Greg Dudek offers the following reflections on this special day where we celebrate our planet: 

        "The role of humans in the stewardship of the planet is becoming increasingly evident and important. Due to the vast scale of planetary challenges, both on land and especially undersea, the importance and value of robotics technology is also becoming increasingly clear. Using robotics technologies and systems to measure, understand, and maybe even directly interact with the environment may allow us to do things that would have been otherwise impossible. This includes sending robotic vehicles underwater to study coral reefs, hopefully to either better understand the environmental challenges and maybe even to take remedial action such as killing crown of thorns, or planting sponges. Another example might be robotic ground or flying vehicles to measure forest coverage, species migration, or estimate moisture levels. Robotics provides the tools to have a great and positive impact on many aspects of the environment."

Wishing our NCRN community a wonderful Earth Day!