Unity Technology Powers NASA's Mars Rover Experience

I was trying to think of a cool headline to match the absolutely awesome possibilities attached to the following news, but keeping the headline straight-laced was probably the best way to convey what this news is about. So what is this news posting about? It's about visiting Mars.

While we're still a ways off from Total Recall's depiction of Mars with the mining colonies and resort-type settings featuring three-breasted dancers, but we're definitely getting closer by the rover. Unity Technologies has announced that the Unity Engine will be used to render 3D, real-time simulations of what NASA's Curiosity rover will be experiencing first-hand on Mars near the Gale Crater.

David Helgason, CEO, Unity Technologies commented in the press release, saying...

Gamers, enthusiasts, astrophysicists and everyone else in between will be able to view the Curiosity's progress via simulation through Unity's web player. The idea of that is absolutely fascinating.

There's close to a month before the rover actually lands on Mars, so for now the only thing available is to scope out the basic beta of how the Unity Web Player will be used to render the experience. The team has time to iron out the kinks before the actual landing and I suspect that the rendering fidelity will be vastly increased over the next 20 days.

Anyone interested in experimenting with the Curiosity via Unity's interactive web player can actually do so right now to avoid traffic congestion when the rover finally lands. Just head on over to the Official NASA Curiosity Website to learn more.