About The Astrobee

What is the Astrobee?

The Astrobee system in the ISS consists of three cube-shaped flying robots, named Queen, Bumble, and Honey, as well as a docking station for charging, all of which arrived at the ISS in 2019. The Astrobee project was funded by Nasa, and its purpose is to help astronauts on the ISS do their daily tasks. The robots were made to help astronauts take inventory, document experiments, or move items. This allows the astronauts to do important tasks that are difficult for robots to replicate, increasing the efficiency of the ISS. Robots will hopefully play even more important roles in the ISS in the near future.

How does the astrobee function?

The Astrobee uses electric fans to fly in the low-gravity environment of the ISS. They use cameras and sensors in order to navigate their surroundings, as well as an attachable arm to carry items.

meet the astrobees

Image one-https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6891001/NASA-sending-floating-Astrobee-robot-assistants-work-alongside-astronauts.html

image two-https://spectrum.ieee.org/watch-astrobees-first-autonomous-flight-on-the-international-space-station

image three-https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6891001/NASA-sending-floating-Astrobee-robot-assistants-work-alongside-astronauts.html

How was the astrobee created?

The Astrobee system improved upon the SPHERES system, which was created when MIT professor David W. Miller challenged his students to design a robot similar to the training droids in Star Wars: A New Hope.