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Objective:
Human labor will be in short supply on the International Space Station (ISS), where a high proportion of astronaut time must be spent on routine housekeeping chores. This research task will develop a small, spherical, free-flying robot for microgravity environments. It will assist astronauts with environmental monitoring and communications, give ground personnel a mobile virtual presence on-board spacecraft (for remote operations support), and expand our understanding of adjustably autonomous mobile robots as team members. The robot -- sometimes called a personal satellite assistant (PSA) or spacecraft mobile robot (SMR) -- will accept wireless or voice commands to take sensor readings, relay an image, conduct video and audio conferencing, or provide information to a crew member. In particular, the PSA may be able to read, display, and explain checklist procedures, freeing another crew member from that task. The PSA may have environmental sensors for gases (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc.), atmospheric pressure, temperature, fire detection, microgravity levels, and special-purpose data collection. Crew worksite support will include mobile access to information such as vehicle status and health data, mission schedule, inventory tracking, location information, and just-in-time-training support, plus notification updates and alarms. The PSA will have to understand a complex, dynamic, structured, social environment. It will leverage NASA investments in constraint-based planning, flexible plan execution, and model-based diagnosis technologies (e.g., IDEA and EUROPA). An ISS module mockup with a simulated micro-gravity harness will be used for testing and demonstrations. The robot will also be demonstrated as one agent in an integrated IVHM and environmental-control life support system for a simulated spacecraft module. Future capabilities may include extravehicular uses, multi-PSA collaborations, and perhaps hologram projections.
Applications:
Robot assistants for manned or engineered space environments such as the International Space Station (ISS); virtual presence for ground-based controllers; assistants for space-suited astronauts during EVA.
NASA Benefit:
An on-board Spacecraft Mobile robot will multiply the effectiveness of a human crew, in tasks such as inventory tracking, intelligent environmental monitoring, and fault detection and isolation. It will also provide a virtual presence and remote operations support for ground controllers. Such support will increase safety, reliability, and affordability, helping to extend human space flight for exploration and discovery.
Keywords:
space station robot, crew support, personal satellite assistant, PSA, speech, monitoring, display
Images:
PI slides.
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