Embedded Files
MAKE SOME SPACE FOR FRIENDS! Share this site with teachers, students, friends and family so they can join in on the fun.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 60 Flight Engineer Christina Koch tests the mobility of the free-flying Astrobee robotic assistant inside the Kibo laboratory module. Credit: NASA JSC
April Darger
April Darger
Robots are an integral and intriguing part of space exploration. From the Mars Rovers that have already sent us so much information about the red planet to NASA’s Valkyrie Humanoids that might end up building your new home on Mars, robots are paving the way for human exploration.
Back on Earth robots are doing incredible things as well. They explore the depths of the oceans, the violent hazards of volcanoes, and even the mysteries of the human body. On top of all that they are helping us fight COVID19!
Robots.EducationVideo.mp4It is so critically important that our students learn about robotics now so they can be a part of the incredible advancements in robotics that are happening now and will continue into the future.
Robots are currently used in transportation, manufacturing, hospitality, medicine, surgeries and prosthesis just to name a few. But that is only the beginning. There is no limit to where robots can take us in the future, and we need a workforce that knows show to build, program, and repair these amazing machines.
Astrobees
Astrobees
Astrobee, NASA’s new free-flying robotic system, will help astronauts reduce time they spend on routine duties, leaving them to focus more on the things that only humans can do.
The Astrobee system consists of three cubed-shaped robots, software and a docking station used for recharging. The robots use electric fans as a propulsion system that allows them to fly freely through the microgravity environment of the station. Cameras and sensors help them to “see” and navigate their surroundings. The robots also carry a perching arm that allows them to grasp station handrails in order to conserve energy or to grab and hold items.
Guest scientists will be able to use Astrobee to carry out investigations that will help to develop technology – both hardware and software – for future missions. Since the robots are modular and can be upgraded, the system gives researchers and scientists diverse capabilities for performing a wide range of experiments inside the station.
NASA activated a free-floating autonomous robot called ‘Bumble’ earlier this year, and now Bumble has a new companion called Honey. Both are Astrobee robots, cube-like “robotic teammates” for ISS astronauts, which are designed to help with experiments, day-to-day activities and more. These two robots are alike in all regards, though Honey features yellow accents while Bumble has blue for the sake of visual identification. Honey will still need to undergo testing before it’s fully ready to start its work in earnest, but it’s going to benefit from its similarity to Bumble – the earlier robot has already mapped the interior of the Space Station’s Kibo module, which means that Honey won’t be starting from scratch since it’s received that mapping data via a software update. This robotic duo will soon become a trio, since a third Astrobee called ‘Queen’ was delivered to the ISS in July and will go online after Honey is up and running. Eventually, NASA hopes that robots like these will be able to not only make astronauts more efficient in their work by providing additional assistance and managing a portion of their current workload, but also be entrusted with the maintenance of spacecraft and stations when there’s no one on board at all. Astrobee, and its eventual successors, could be the key to establishing more permanent human presences in orbit around the Moon and beyond. (source)
Robonaut
Robonaut
By Kyler
Robonaut 2 is the first humanoid robot in space, and although its primary job for now is demonstrating to engineers how dexterous robots behave in space, the hope is that through upgrades and advancements, it could one day venture outside the station to help spacewalkers make repairs or additions to the space station or perform scientific work.
Image: Robonaut 2 which uses a head, torso, arms and dexterous hands to perform tasks using the same tools used by human spacewalkers was fitted with a movable leg. Credit: NASA JSC
ARMADAS
ARMADAS
ARMADAS Robotics are robots that can build structures in space. They use white or black blocks called voxels to tell its position and if it should build or skip and not build over black blocks that are in their way. This is a new type of robotics called "relative robotics" that allows structures to be built without the robot having sensors to identify their exact position.
‘According to Gershenfeld, the key difference lies in the relationship between the robotic device and the materials that it is handling and manipulating. With these new kinds of robots, “you can’t separate the robot from the structure — they work together as a system,” he says. For example, while most mobile robots require highly precise navigation systems to keep track of their position, the new assembler robots only need to keep track of where they are in relation to the small subunits, called voxels, that they are currently working on. Every time the robot takes a step onto the next voxel, it readjusts its sense of position, always in relation to the specific components that it is standing on at the moment.’ (source)
These robots can disassemble a structure as easily as they can build it. This is important to replace damaged structures and rebuilds them as strong as they were initially built.
Robots like the ARMADAS may one day be able to build space habitats and other space structures. They will then stay attached to the structure and repair or rebuild it continuously.
Report abuse