NASA



NASA

Space is a challenging work environment.

EVA (spacewalking) astronauts live in an unusual weightless world, are constrained by the limited dexterity of their bulky space suit gloves, and are exposed to high levels of radiation while outside the confines of the Space Shuttle or Space Station.

From an occupational health standpoint, EVA time should be minimized. However, the work must be accomplished.

Robonaut

The Robot Systems Technology Branch at NASA's Johnson Space Center, in collaboration with DARPA, is building a humanoid robot intended to assist EVA astronauts with space assembly, inspection, and maintenance tasks. This robotic astronaut is called Robonaut.

Robonaut's humanoid shape includes two dexterous hands, allowing it to operate in a space-based work environment crafted by humans for humans. When controlled remotely by an operator, Robonaut is capable of using standard EVA hand tools to perform non-trivial tasks. Collaborative tasks requiring multiple "people" (be they human or robotic) have been demonstrated in earthbound mockups, giving a glimpse of Robonaut's potential.

Robonaut home page
Collaborative task photos
DARPA

In-Situ Training of Anthropomorphic Robots

Through a research contract with NASA Johnson Space Center, American Android is developing artificial intelligence technology that will enable human operators to teach robots, in the field, how to perform new tasks. The goal is to help automate Robonaut.

Building upon existing inverse kinematics, rule-based control, and neural network learning technology, the training method enhances robot capabilities through operator supervision. It enables the online construction of rule-based plans of action through verbal dialogue between operator and robot, and uses verbal, visual, and manual cues such as spoken words, hand gestures, and the pushing of buttons and joysticks to teach neural networks how to improve nominal rule-based performance.

From a commercial standpoint, this research is producing a field-trainable humanoid robot control system applicable to a wide range of applications including toys, educational products, and technology for aiding the disabled.

For NASA, the goal is more specific: to build a field-trainable guidance layer for current and future telerobotic control systems. Ideally, it will be favored by control system designers as a convenient way to automate robot tasks, and be favored by the ultimate end-users, astronauts, as a convenient way to customize robot behavior on-orbit or on-planet.


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