One might think that NASA and the oil and gas industry have nothing in common, but Omar Hatamleh believes otherwise.

Speaking during the Houston Consular Forum on Arctic oil and gas exploration last week, the assistant chief scientist for NASA shared thoughts on similar challenges the two industries face and how the two can work not only together but with other industries to exchange ideas and address challenges that can be mutually beneficial.

Hatamleh was among the panelists speaking about challenges in the Arctic and the need for cross-industry collaboration. The event came as the push toward exploration in the Arctic slows amid geopolitical issues, cost concerns and regulatory and public scrutiny.

“When you bring in people from different industries they tend to shed light on something you hadn’t thought about,” Hatamleh said. “We spend so much time, resources, efforts and costs trying to develop solutions for similar problems when in fact maybe colleagues from different industries might have a solution for this problem. Exchanging ideas might have a lot of value.”

The energy industry, for example, took a page from medical books when it began using computerized tomography (CT) scanning, or X-rays, for petrophysical applications such as 3-D imaging to better characterize reservoirs and examine cores.

After pointing out that experts estimate energy demand will be about 80% higher by the year 2050, he stressed the need for industries to put together their collective intellect to devise innovative ways to tackle problems. He compared how remote installations in the Arctic bare similarities to the International Space Station, which took about 20 years to put in place.

“We both share challenges that involve working in remote and extreme environments. A lot of the technology developed for one can be applied to the other one as well,” he said before touching on human factors, robots, big data, telemedicine and 3-D manufacturing—areas of common interest.

Human factors: When designing technology it is important to keep in mind that humans will be using it. Looking at Arctic exploration, issues like sleep cycles, the psychological impact from working in remote environments and even lighting can impact workers and their productivity just like in outer space.

Dr. Peter Lundgren, of Sweden’s Umeǻ University, talked about cold climates’ effects on human physiology. Challenges of working in arctic conditions include the possibility for hyperthermia, which could lead to accidents. Keys to meeting physiological-related challenges are having basic knowledge, including about human body heat balance, within the organization and further research. This includes examining how existing materials can be used more effectively.

“It’s very important to invent new techniques, but it is also very important to know how to use the techniques we have,” Lundgren said.

Utilizing telemedicine, remote diagnosis and treatment using telecommunications, could also be a cross-industry practice, given the lack of adequate health services in such remote locations.

Humanoid robots: NASA’s efforts toward creating humanoid robots could also prove beneficial in working in hazardous situations, as well as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, according to Hatamleh. NASA has partnered with General Motors, with assistance from Oceaneering Space Systems, on a humanoid robot—NASA’s second co-called Robonaut, or R2.

“Advanced technology spans the entire R2 system and includes: optimized overlapping dual-arm dexterous workspace, series elastic joint technology, extended finger and thumb travel, miniaturized six-axis load cells, redundant force sensing, ultrahigh-speed joint controllers, extreme neck travel, and high-resolution camera and IR [information retrieval] systems,” NASA said on its website. “The dexterity of R2 allows it to use the same tools that astronauts currently use and removes the need for specialized tools just for robots. One advantage of a humanoid design is that Robonaut can take over simple, repetitive or especially dangerous tasks on places such as the International Space Station. Because R2 is approaching human dexterity, tasks such as changing out an air filter can be performed without modifications to the existing design.”

Big data: In the oil and gas industry, “there is better seismic and better drilling and better production techniques and there are thousands and thousands of data,” he said, adding, “Same thing for us. We have a lot of missions [during which] we gather vast amounts of information every single day.

“The more we advance we have better sensors, better communication techniques, and we can collect more and more of this information. This is a huge resource if you know how to leverage it.”

3-D manufacturing: Whether it’s a space mission to Mars or exploratory drilling in the Arctic, all of the spare parts won’t fit in the suitcase. “It would be very effective if somebody could send you the file electronically and you can print it on the spot there and then you can use it,” Hatamleh said.

“We can work together to develop technology from scratch as a group,” he added. “I strongly believe that by working together we will be able to solve a lot of problems together. We’ll be able to push the state of Arctic technology to produce products and systems that are safer, more effective and more innovative for all of us.”

A technology push is happening to enable the industry to develop Arctic resources safely and economically, said Jason Nye, senior vice president, U.S. offshore, for Statoil. He added that projects are getting more complex and there is pressure from shareholders to increase returns amid a continuously changing geopolitical landscape.

“We see [that] development in the Arctic is going slower than most of us would have thought only a short time ago. Despite the slowdown in activity in parts of the Arctic we are far from being at a standstill,” Nye said.

Statoil, as Nye explained, divides the Arctic into three categories:

Workable Arctic: Areas, such as the Norwegian Barents Sea, with little or no sea ice and limited icebergs. Ice-resistant platforms are feasible for operating in shallow-water areas. “This means we have solutions that can be carried out based on today’s technology,” with challenges capable of being solved without radical innovation, he said;

Stretch Arctic: Areas such as Northwest Greenland, where significant ice inhibits operations for floating structures. Work still needs to be done to develop key technologies for commercial feasibility of developments in this category;

Extreme Arctic: Areas, such as East Greenland, with near continuous heavy ice coverage from the Arctic Ocean and glacier ice. This is where solutions are hard to visualize, and long-term focus and investment in technology are needed, he said.

“Preliminary studies suggest the Arctic offshore contains 22% of the conventional undefined oil and gas resources in the world, and yet the Arctic Continental Shelf contains some of the least explored basins on earth. So why then are we willing to take on the challenge and develop Arctic resources? It is quite simple: The world needs more energy,” Nye continued. “The industry struggles to replace its existing production and makes fewer and smaller discoveries. Halfway through 2014 the industry had discovered approximately 6.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, according to IHS, which is roughly a third of what has been produced this year. This is a trend that is not sustaining, and this is why Statoil is looking in the Arctic.”

Statoil has positions in the Barents Sea, Greenland and offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. “Each area has its own challenges and opportunities. We need to take this into account when developing and executing our plans.”

Exploring Arctic basins in a safe, sustainable and cost-effective manner calls for a stepwise approach, ensuring technology is in place before tackling complex areas, he said.

He later added that the oil and gas industry has often faced skepticism and sometimes criticism when moving into new areas.

“We have moved from huge platforms to subsea templates to complete subsea solutions. One of our next ambitions is to build a complete subsea factory,” Nye said. “Each step takes us closer to solving what was previously seen as impossible. Achieving the impossible is only done through collaboration and working with the best people. This means working together with the right suppliers, using the right technology and developing innovative solutions.”

Contact the author, Velda Addison, at vaddison@hartenergy.com.