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According to IEEE Spectrum a proposed robot lawnmower from iRobot (developers of the Roomba) has astronomers concerned about the proposed design.
In order to provide the robot lawnmower with information about position iRobot are proposing to use wireless beacons in the 6240-6740 MHz range, which covers a region of the radio spectrum the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) uses for observations, and iRobot would like the FCC to allow them to operate in this protected spectrum by issuing a waiver:
As you might expect, the NRAO got a little bit upset that iRobot wanted to set up its beacons to broadcast on a protected frequency, because they're worried that people's lawn mower beacons would start to mess with their radio astronomy data. So, they’ve filed a comment to that effect on iRobot's FCC waiver application, to which iRobot responded, and then NRAO responded to that.
We’ve read through these documents (including iRobot’s waiver application, NRAO’s comments, iRobot’s response, and NRAO’s reply), and they’re full of amusingly passive-aggressive commentary from both sides as they argue back and forth in front of the FCC.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2015, @08:06AM
srsly? nothing and i mean NOTHING daily-practical has come from astronomy. complete waste of time and tax-payer monies.
it's freaking pull-thru university to finish line with a cushy job in some "observatory" for the rest of your life .. and sit around doing nothing.
REAL astronomy is a satellite in orbit (or on the moon) but surely NOT on earth .. 5 billion potential interference sources and counting!
but i guess having to do a education to be a astronaut too is asking too much.
comfy chair and and infinite coffee machine refills in remote location is what they're after.
*evil grin*