NASA Astrobee Bot Completes First Hardware Check Aboard ISS - Geek

NASA astronaut Anne McClain performs the first series of tests of an Astrobee robot, Bumble, during a hardware checkout (via NASA)

The International Space Station’s first Astrobee robot has completed initial hardware checks to ensure its subsystems are in working order.

NASA astronaut Anne McClain last month unpacked Bumble, testing its avionic, multi-camera, propulsion, and docking systems ahead of a full cyborg launch later this spring.

Bumble, along with fellow robobee Honey, launched to the space station on April 17, as part of Northrop Grumman’s latest commercial resupply services mission.

Last month’s unveiling of the Astrobee robots—cube-shaped devices that assist with routine tasks like maintenance and inventory tracking—created a lot of buzz.

Developed and built at the Ames Research Center, NASA’s bots can also help earthbound researchers carry out experiments, test new technologies, and study human-robot interaction in space.

The free-flying androids are propelled by electric fans, and can move in any direction and turn on any axis in space.

Each comes with cameras and sensors for navigating inside the ISS without bumping into people, floating objects, or other obstacles.

A detachable arm-and-claw accessory makes it easy to handle cargo or run experiments.

The battery-powered bots can operate in fully automated mode, or under remote control by astronauts or researchers on Earth. When its power runs low, the machine autonomously navigates and docks to a power station to recharge.

“The main purpose of the Astrobee platform is to provide a zero-gravity testbed for guest scientists to try out new robotic technologies in space,” project manager Maria Bualat said in a statement.

“Astrobee will prove [our] robotic capabilities that will enable and enhance human exploration,” she continued. “Performing such experiments in zero gravity will ultimately help develop new hardware and software for future space missions.”

The three-bot program also includes Queen, which has not yet left Earth’s atmosphere. Commissioning of the entire system is expected to be complete by autumn 2019.

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https://www.geek.com/tech/nasa-astrobee-bot-completes-first-hardware-check-aboard-iss-1787925/

2019-05-20 10:01:23Z
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