The Antarctic ice sheets are melting – but at what rate? IceNode, developed by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is on a mission to find out.

Harnessing their expertise in designing robots for space exploration, engineers at the laboratory are working on a fleet of robots that autonomously position themselves to the underside of an ice shelf.

Measuring 2.4 metres long and 25 centimetres in diameter, these robots are released from a borehole or a vessel in the open ocean. They then ride the currents beneath the ice shelves – miles-long slabs of floating ice that extend from land – until they reach an area known as the ‘grounding zone’, which is where floating ice shelves, ocean and land meet.

Upon reaching this target, the robots use three-legged ‘landing gear’ that springs out from one end to help attach them to the bottom of the ice.

Once affixed, the robot’s sensors measure how fast warm, salty ocean water is circulating up to melt the ice, and how quickly colder, fresher meltwater is...