A new company called Planetary Resources [link] was recently founded by film maker James Cameron, Google Co-Founder Larry Page and others.

There are many companies who hope to exploit extra-terrestrial resources. The wealth and track record of its founders makes Planetary Resources more credible than most such outfits.

I've heard people criticize Cameron's "Avatar" saying it's just eye candy with no substance. I disagree.

Telepresence and remote interaction is the central idea of Avatar. And I believe telerobots are what will enable use of space resources. James Cameron and his brother Mike have been pioneers in telerobotics. Please see my blog entry "Puppets, Telerobots and James Cameron" [link] .

I hope we will have able telerobotic avatars on the moon and other bodies. This would make a sustained human space presence much more plausible.