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NASA's robotic assistants in free flight inspired Star Wars droids pass the first tests in space before the mission of maintenance of the ISS
- NASA's "Astrobees" perform their first hardware test aboard the ISS this month
- The robots will help astronauts monitor their equipment and keep their inventory in space.
- NASA says they'll help astronauts in missions on the moon and deep space
- Astrobes are complimenting a growing number of robotic applications in space
A recent hardware test of NASA's robotic helper, "Astrobees," is bringing closer and closer to a new wave of space-independent assistive devices.
According to NASA, astronaut Anne McClain conducted this month a hardware test of the robot, dubbed "Bumble," one of three robotic assistants launched on April 15 on the International Space Station (ISS). .
Scientists hope that Bumble will perform a variety of maintenance tasks such as equipment monitoring and inventory management. NASA hopes that its astronauts will be able to perform other more critical tasks related to their missions and experiences.
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Astrobees are just one of NASA's many robotic applications that also study the use of "soft" robotics that replace traditional hardware with malleable plastics.
"Astrobee will demonstrate its robotic capabilities that will enable and enhance human exploration," said Maria Bualat, Astrobee Project Manager at NASA's Ames Research Center in a statement.
"Performing such experiments in zero gravity will help develop new hardware and software for future space missions."
The robots, based on tiny robots that appear in "Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith," are able to navigate their environment using a mix of electric fans that provide their propulsion and cameras associated with a embedded software that helps to avoid obstacles.
With the help of a small robotic arm, cubes can even help with cargo handling or experiments.
Anne McClain performed the first hardware test of "Bumble", a trio of embedded robots aboard the ISS that can assist astronauts in a number of tasks.
Once the battery is discharged, the robots, just like the Roomba earth cleaning assistant, can find their way back.
The Astrobees rely on an earlier version of the robotic aid called SPHERES – three free-flying first-generation robot assistants deployed on the ISS in 2006 to take part in various experiments on the equipment and softwares.
In the future, NASA hopes that robots such as the Atrobees will be able to contribute to moon-planned missions and space travel.
As the agency progresses on more traditional robots like Astrobee, it is also adopting a "softer" approach by developing malleable plastic robots that remove rigid hardware.
According to NASA, the robots, made using a mold filled with liquid silicon, could theoretically explore other planets by inflating and deflating their plastic chambers, causing them to move along from the surface of the planet like a starfish.
To increase their capabilities, the agency is also exploring how software robots might be able to unite and work cooperatively.
Following a call from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a robot similar to that of NASA's Astrobees could also help future satellite repair and surveillance missions.
DARPA indicated that it wanted engineers to help it develop robotic repairers capable of repairing more than 400 US satellites, some of which are more than 20,000 km away, making service and maintenance almost impossible.
The agency hopes that these robots will be developed in the next five years.
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