The American space agency NASA will very soon be coming out with a new innovative technology that would replace conventional power systems with a soft robotic rover called ‘robotic eel’.

Sources familiar with the news said that the technology will be used for land and water based exploration of gas-giant moons such as Europa, the sixth-closest moon of the planet Jupiter.

The robotic eel is an amphibious rover that features a short antenna on its back. The eel shaped robot that resembles a squid will have tentacle-like structures that will work as electrodynamic ‘power scavengers’ to harvest power from locally changing magnetic fields.

Scientists associated with making of the robot said that for challenging environment like that of Europa, which is made of silicate rock and has a water-ice crust and probably an iron–nickel core, a robotic eel could conduct exploration with much flexibility and enhanced maneuverability.

NASA has always been known for its path-breaking innovations that take research and studies ahead by leaps and bounds.

The agency in its new program called NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), the committee has selected 15 different proposals that have the potential to turn our sci-fi into reality by developing cutting edge technologies.

The agency aims to progress in the exploration of asteroids, newer plants and all the space beyond lower Earth orbit.

The proposals selected are among some of the most exciting concepts and the NASA team believes that with these ideas they are re-imagining the future by tackling challenges in both tertiary and aerospace domains.

Some other interesting proposals under NIAC include two glider-like UAV’s that are connected by a strong cable at different altitudes that sail without propulsion.

The advantage of such a project is that future science missions would get navigation and monitoring capabilities at a comparably less cost required by orbital satellite networks.