[NicknamedBob]

"Working through some computer issues..."

I might need your help. (Space Technology and Applications)

A robot to explore the surface of Venus will require new technologies; specifically, it will require electronics, scientific instruments, power supplies, and mechanical linkages designed to operate at a temperature above 450^oC, hot enough to melt the solder on a standard electronic circuit board.

This will require devices made from advanced semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide, or even new approaches, such as micro-vacuum tube electronics. Such materials are now being developed in the laboratory.

In addition, for a fully immersive virtual reality, high-bandwidth virtual-presence technologies will have to be developed, as well as highly capable exploratory robotics.

Hmm. Spiderbots on Venus?

Our spiderbots have not yet been adapted for the high temperatures. Presumably, the high temperature alloys of rare earth elements we use in the reactors will be helpful.

What is interesting is the notion of using vacuum tubes. Even with the crushing atmospheric pressure on Venus, equivalent to being under a kilometer of ocean on Earth, properly designed glass vacuum tubes, (perhaps quartz), will allow the operation of old-fashioned radio and television equipment. One thing seems obvious; those tubes may not require filaments!

The ambient temperature may be sufficient to produce the "cloud of electrons" such as boil off from your old cathode-ray tube television or computer monitor.

On Venus, electrons would boil in vacuum without further encouragement!

(Also, Gentle Readers, let us not forget the Game aspects of these possible developments. First-person shooter in the murky fog of the Venusian Hell Planet sounds like a lot of fun!)

[Monkey Face]

...First-person shooter in the murky fog of the Venusian Hell Planet sounds like a lot of fun!)

So get busy! I'm waiting! (I may have to invest in RC cars in the meantime.)

[sionnsar]

You are definitely going to have some difficulties here trying to operate in ambient temperatures, but I guess that's safer than relying on mechanical cooling.

GaAs (gallium arsenide) is a good choice for semiconductors -- plus you get certain speed advantages. (Back in the late 70s we thought GaAs would take over from silicon... but it never happened.) Vacuum tubes will work too, but will need much higher cathode temperatures for efficiency -- this might be overcome by adding some radioactive materials and ensuring plenty of conductive cooling at the plate. Perhaps a solder substitute for wiring could be found -- but I'm not too certain about welding instead. (Maybe D.C. can enlighten us.)

Of course, you could bypass all that and go straight to fluidic computing, with techniques known from the early 60s. A bit slower for digital computing but various analog operations could be quite efficient. (Though it might freeze up -literally- at Earth-norm temperatures.)