Total Habitability Instrument (THI): A Bioinspired Microfluidic Platform for In Situ Planetary Habitability Mapping
To the point
Karen Donaldson and colleagues propose a palm-sized, bioinspired Total Habitability Instrument that autonomously samples water indicators, CHNOPS elements, nutrients, and energy sources with microfluidic sensors and can be deployed by robots or humans to map habitability across diverse planetary environments, leveraging soft robotics for operation in extreme and confined terrains.