Djedi Robot Set to Explore Pyramid Shafts?

In 1993 and again in 2002 there were robots used to explore shafts in the Great Pyramid.

Now eight years later, a new robot is ready to try to discover what that special "something" might be. Dubbed the Djedi Rover-- after the sorcerer who helped Khufu design his resting place -- this 'bot boasts a toolbox of cutting-edge gizmos. Mission manager Shaun Whitehead told AOL News that the machine is fitted with a flexible "snake camera" that will allow it to peer through the existing hole in the first slab and carry out a more detailed survey of this ancient mini-chamber.

This article was one of many put out this past August. No actual date (that I could find) was given as to when this event would occur. The only reference I found said, "in about 6 weeks time".

Now, three and a half months later, I am unable to find any new information or updates on this Djedi Rover, save for a reference here by someone who just seems as frustrated as myself with the lack of any follow-up.

If anyone has information on this, I would greatly appreciate it!

Why do they need a robot to access a "chamber" anyway? How did whoever built it access it? And regardless, why does it take so long (six weeks) to drive a robot down a shaft...? I guess these people have to milk their employer; take a week to do a 3 hour job?

reply to post by MavRck


The "chamber" referred to here is just a small area in between two doors of this shaft. The first door had a hole drilled through it back in 2002. This new robot is designed to peer through the previously-drilled hole, examine the space between, and drill through the second door to see what, if anything is beyond it.

Why this all takes so long to accomplish, I haven't a clue.

reply to post by kalunom
The story appeared 3 months or so ago after being posted by a lazy-ass journalist without reasonable oversight. I think it was The Independent (UK news outlet). Other media outlets (including big names) followed and the story spread across the news sites and forums within a couple of weeks. Basically the journalist has posted a story that's a year old and the supposedly professional world of journalism spread the claim without one of them checking their sources or facts.

In fact, the robots were scheduled to investigate last year and presumably did so. There was a very long thread discussing it in August 2009 (link). What happened next is anyone's guess. Frustrating huh?

you know, theyre talking about drilling into an anicent structure, you dont know what might happen so they need to go slow

S &F, I wonder where this is...

Here is Hawass talking about it on his blog. there is nothing new there.

reply to post by Kandinsky


Not what I wanted to hear! But thank you for that info and the link to your thread. It IS incredibly frustrating, moreso now that you tell me that this was done last year already... I was thinking maybe they just had some sort of temporary delay in getting this going.

reply to post by kalunom
To be honest, I've pretty much given up waiting to hear more about the investigation. Well over a year and total silence.

I'm not one of the guys who believes Hawass covers everything up, but it's times like this when I can understand how people feel that way.

reply to post by kalunom


The silence of this venture is deafening. I am unable to find anything new that relates to their progress.
So, I nominate you OP- to contact Shaun Whitehead and update all of us.
May the force be with you!

reply to post by Tribble


Provided I found the correct email address, he has been emailed.

I emailed via the Scoutek website - scoutek.com...

Here's Shaun Whitehead's personal site: www.creationeer.co.uk...
He has an email addy on there as well.

Response from Mr. Whitehead:

Hi *****

Thanks for your interest in the Djedi project. Unlike the previous mission, we are keeping a relatively low profile and we are not releasing information until it is formally published (in the SCA's own journal, the ASAE). The initial report is due within the next few weeks, I hope.

It does take a long time to prepare and test the robot (we spent two years in competition against Singapore University) mainly because it is a difficult thing to do (while protecting the pyramid) and because we all have very demanding "day jobs". So, the lack of information is not because we want to be secretive, it's just that it takes a long time and we are carrying out everything in a scientific manner.

Regards

Shaun Whitehead

I then replied asking if we might see some info in the next volume of ASAE (Supreme Council of Antiquities' journal), which is released yearly. Might be a while til we hear anything. This journal is not free or public, you have to buy it each year. Here's a link to where you can purchase Volume 83 (which was the last volume released as far as I can find): www.internationalpubmarket.com...

reply to post by tetsuo


Thank you for this! The email I used to contact him was from Loughborough University's website. No reply from that yet.

And the speed at which you received a reply from the Scoutek site makes me wonder if this is not just a form-letter reply.

To say that they are not releasing information until it is formally published implies that they indeed do have some information worth publishing. Which leads me to believe that they have sent their robot into this shaft already. But, then he goes on to say how these things take a long time... No doubt about that, I just tend to think it's taken long enough already. Now to wait for a journal to be published (which I can't find any release dates for, just a link to some old issues in French here.) who knows when?

Frustrating. Please let us know if you get any more replies!

No problemo

He did say that he hopes the initial report will be published in a few weeks. Like you said, though, this could be a canned response (I got the response 23 min after emailing him).

I think you might have used the wrong email, it should be [email protected] not .com. That site you linked to actually has the wrong email on it, lol. I'll let them know they have Mr Whitehead's addy posted incorrectly

creationeer.co.uk...

well it gets s+f'd from me. I think this whole subject is very interesting, and kudos on the continuing research.

It may be an old topic, but for so long to pass without real word from the project itself is still suspicious.

reply to post by ZombieJ


Really suspicious, indeed. I find it extremely sad no information has been released yet.

Just a simple questioning here, if they don't want to release any information as of yet, could they have found something quite interesting? They keep it low profile, so maybe there are some sensible information others would like to steal and get the credit for...

Just an area of possibility.

reply to post by tetsuo
Thanks for taking time to e-mail and posting the reply.

reply to post by tetsuo


I finally got around to using the correct .co.uk address and, as you, about 20 minutes later got the same exact reply.

Sigh...

Damn! That sucks. So really, we don't have any info at all. Who knows when he actually wrote about the initial report hopefully coming out in a few weeks. That could have been 2009 for all we know >.<

I might email Zahi Hawass and see what he says. edit: even though he is a total prick and worthless to the grand study of Ancient Egypt
edit2: probably worth more to Egypt if he was stationed at the South Pole >.

reply to post by tetsuo


I'll be shocked if any response is to be had from Hawas. I've taken now to stalking the rest of the crew. I've found and emailed Dr. Richardson and also Mr. Grieve.