Smartphone-Controlled Robots Aid Astronauts

"That way, astronauts can spend more time performing science experiments and other work, instead of routine maintenance," said Terry Fong, director of the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. "In the long run, free-flying robots like SPHERES could also be used to inspect the exterior of the space station or future deep-space vehicles."

The MIT-built robots will each connect with a Nexus S smartphone — the first commercial smartphone certified by NASA for use on the space shuttle and space station. The smartphone is loaded with Google's Android open-source platform that may even allow members of the public to make software for space experiments.

"The availability of the Android source code allows us to customize the smartphone to be used as a compact, low-cost, low-power computer, rather than just as a phone," said Mark Micire, a software engineer in the NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group.

The enhanced SPHERES could also act like a remote-controlled video camera that can capture interviews with astronauts in the seemingly weightless environment of the space station. Future versions capable of operating in the vacuum of space might someday assist spacewalkers or perform visual surveys outside the space station.

It's not a bad future for a robot that took inspiration from the remote droid which tested Luke Skywalker's

"The space station is just the first step to using remotely controlled robots to support human exploration," said Chris Moore, program executive in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

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