Hyperdrive
World’s Most-Isolated City Lures NASA Talent in Hunt for Resources Tech
- Perth seeking to forge reputation as resources technology hub
- Showcase event in the city highlights innovation in the sector
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It was a video of a waving robot that attracted NASA to the world’s most isolated city.
Engineers at Woodside Petroleum Ltd. in Perth, Australia, were just “messing around” teaching a toy robot to wave when they filmed it, Chief Technology Officer Shaun Gregory told a conference recently, but NASA liked what it saw. The U.S. space agency got in touch, and the two are now studying how to use robot technology to tackle problems in remote and difficult locations.