Universe Today
As I’m writing this I’m able to stare out into my driveway at my trusty Honda Odyssey. Most of the public’s association with Honda is through their “mobility” products - i.e. their cars. But the company has an impressive track record of other technical achievements, not the least of which has been in robotics. Now, it’s teaming up with space infrastructure firm Redwire to develop an automated laboratory support system for use on future commercial space stations.
Ask anyone who’s ever worked on the International Space Station (ISS) and they will tell you the most limited resource is astronaut time. While they are aboard, the humans on the ISS have essentially every minute of every day planned out for them. And some of those minutes are taken up with very mundane things like scanning barcodes for inventory management or swapping out biological sample trays. Astronauts are some of the most highly educated people in the world, and their time is extraordinarily valuable - but they also have to handle basic laboratory maintenance tasks onboard space stations because there is literally no one else to do it.
In fact, time is a resource that even the ISS itself is running short on. NASA plans to deorbit the station, which is about the size of a football field, around 2030, crashing it into the remotest part of the Pacific Ocean. In its place, a crop of private companies, such as Axiom Space, Vast, and Orbital Reef are hoping to launch their own versions of space stations, in which NASA will be simply one customer among many.
Video of Honda's most famous robot - ASIMO. Credit - Onlooker UK YouTube ChannelWhile these modern outposts would be a technical step up from the ISS, they are also going to be much smaller, at least originally. Many will only have a crew of two or four astronauts, and many go long stretches without being crewed at all. In other words, to keep the microgravity scientific experiments running, operators will have to turn to automation.
That’s where the Honda / Redwire robot comes in. Redwire itself is providing a reaching/motion platform known as Space Technology Autonomous Agile Robotic Kit (STAARK), which is assumedly named after Iron Man, but with enough of a difference to keep Disney satisfied. Redwire itself already has plenty of experience in orbital research, and manages eight operational science facilities onboard the ISS currently. STAARK is designed to autonomously interact with and grab dynamic objects, and offers the “reach” part of the robotic assemblage.
Honda, on the other hand, is very good at detailed robotic manipulation. Readers of a certain generation might remember their ASIMO robot that used to wave happily at people at tech conferences. But since then they have concentrated on robotic grips. The current version of their robotic hand features independently articulated fingers, each equipped with tactile and force sensors. Those give the robot a sense of “touch” that makes sure it doesn’t either crush a sample vial or have it float out of reach.
Fraser talks about another robot on the ISS - this one designed to perform surgeries.It will still be awhile before we see this collaboration in action in space, though. In theory, some of the early commercial space stations, such as Haven-1 from Vast and Axiom Station from Axiom Space, could launch as early as next year. However, there haven’t been any announced agreements for any of them to adopt the Redwire / Honda robotic setup. To introduce the concept, the company released a press release, and will be attending the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), currently happening in Antalya, Turkey through October 9th.
Automation will undoubtedly play a major role in future space stations, and Honda / Redwire’s offering sounds appealing with its impressive technical capabilities. But it remains to be seen if that is what the burgeoning space automation industry will rally around, or whether another option would potentially better fit the bill. But as space becomes more commercial, competition to supply the “shovels” of the next round of microgravity scientific research will undoubtedly heat up.
Learn More:
Honda - Honda Explores Robotics Solution to Support Research Aboard Future Commercial Space Stations
UT - An Astronaut Controls a Robotic Dog From Orbit
UT - Robots in Space
UT - Level Up! NASA's Space Station Robot Getting 'Climbing' Legs
