Imagine being somewhere without really being there. That's what scientists are doing as they develop a technology called telepresence. Telepresence is a way of taking the human mind to places where the human body cannot readily go. Instead, human intelligence is given a robotic body, to guide through inaccessible environments. Telepresence links mind and machine in a highly sophisticated form of remote control.
Technicians on Earth are currently developing rovers that have cameras connected to a helmet worn by a researcher. When the researcher turns her head, the camera on the rover turns. She can send the rover wherever she wants it to go and can see whatever she wants to see from a safe distance.
Telepresence would be an indispensable tool for exploring Mars, where the harsh conditions would severely limit time in the field. A scouting mission using telepresence could predetermine how the astronaut could best spend that limited time on the Martian surface.
