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According to a news release over at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), a vessel (loaded with a few robotic submersibles) will soon be headed to the Arctic to search for signs of life on what WHOI dubs “…the seafloor of the world’s most isolated ocean.” The Swedish icebreaker Oden will serve as the transportation for a 30-member research team and a trio of new autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) developed for the mission: the Jaguar (pictured), the Puma and the CAMPER.

The 40-day mission — officially called the Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition (AGAVE) begins on July 1st. One wonders if the WHOI folks anticipated a mission acronym that reminds people of tequila (which is created from the fermented sap of a blue agave plant) more than deep-water hydrothermal vent research, but I digress.

The Chief Scientist of the mission is WHOI geophysicist Robert Reves-Sohn, who summarized the focus of the mission in this comment from the news release:

“This is an exciting opportunity to explore and study a portion of Earth’s surface that has been largely inaccessible to science,” said Reves-Sohn. “Any biological habitats at hydrothermal vent fields along the Gakkel Ridge have likely evolved in isolation for tens of millions of years. We may have the opportunity to lay eyes on completely new life forms that have been living in the abyss beneath the Arctic ice pack.”

Kidding about the mission acronym aside, this expedition looks like a promising use of robotic technology to help researchers unlock the secrets of life in extreme environments, which could have numerous benefits for robotic exploration in other areas. NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) must agree, as both are contributing significant amounts of funding for the program. (Source: WHOI) – [Jeff James]

[Update: Click here to view the WALL-E Trailer] – Over the years we’ve seen a bundle of robot films, from the adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, the Terminator series, and the forgettable Short Circuit films. An upcoming film about a robot uprising (starring Shrek-star Mike Meyers) is also in the works.

One of the most promising new films may be WALL-E, a new Pixar animated film slated for release in June 2008. TIME Magazine drops a few hints about the flick in its June 18th issue that presents this summary: “The year is 2700. WALL• E, a robot, spends every day doing what he was made for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for.”

This sounds a bit like the “exploited robot seeks freedom” storyline we’ve seen elsewhere, but you have to admit that Pixar’s track record is phenomenal. Mark your calendars, as this one will likely be worth a trip to the local super-uber-megaplex to see on the big screen. (Source: TIME Magazine, /FILM) – [Jeff James]