TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Robot to Uncover Pyramid of Giza's Secrets

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 08-17-10 | Comments

Scientists are preparing to send a robot into a mysterious shaft in the Great Pyramid of Giza. The robot could uncover artifacts, mummies and clues to the pyramid's baffling construction.

Table of Contents:

Robot to Uncover Pyramid of Giza's Secrets - Puzzle Close to Being Solved?

That puzzle may soon be solved. Sponsored by Leeds University, a team of researchers, engineers and archaeologists has created a high-tech robot to explore the shafts in the Queen's Chamber. The robot has been nicknamed Djedi, after the magician who helped Pharaoh Khufu create the pyramid's plans. Djedi is equipped with the tools to explore the shafts while creating minimal amount of damage.

The Djedi team discusses their findings with Egyptologist Zahi Hawas (source: Meghan Strong).

The robot has a small coring drill that will be able to bore a small hole into the second door. Djedi is outfitted with two means of exploring beyond this hole. First, it has an endoscope-like "snake camera" that is capable of fitting through small spaces and seeing around corners. Djedi also has a miniature robot, called a "beetle," that can navigate holes as small as 20mm to further explore confined spaces. Djedi has several observational tools, including a tiny ultrasound device to determine the thickness and condition of stone, a precision compass, and an inclinometer to record the orientation of the shafts.

The Djedi robot has been specially designed to navigate the narrow passages of the shaft and drill through the mysterious limestone door (source: Sandro Vannini).

What could be hiding behind the door? While artifacts of Egyptian life and religion are likely, Hawas has proposed a more sensational find. "Could it be possible," he writes, "that these doors are evidence that Khufu's burial chamber might still be hidden somewhere inside his pyramid?" Since Khufu's mummy has never been found, its discovery could be one of the most thrilling archaeological finds in modern history.