By Andrew Aroh

Crew cooperation will always be vital in any manned space exploration mission even if some of those crewmember are not human.

With a current mandate to return human explorers to the Moon, push on to Mars, NASA researchers are developing better robots who will work alongside humans on future missions.

If we are able to really focus on robot perception and manipulation we can have robots manipulation. We can have robots build habitats on the Moon.

The goal of using robots in Conjunction with human astronauts on lunar and planetary missions is to freeup the living members of the crew for exploration and science.

For example, once, two astronauts aboard the International Space Station spent the bulk of their time just maintaining the orbital facility. Thus, humans, could end up spending a massive amount of time just dealing with upkeep. We can’t afford to do that because that would mean needing more humans to be there, eating food, breathing air, etc.

• At Ames Research Center, Scientists and Engineers have constructed an indoor laboratory designed to mock a manned Moon or Mars base, with an inner control room looking out over simulated lunar surface where humans and robots will cooperate to build structures, test equipment and use digging tools. Researchers will use the site to test their systems with NASA’s wheeled Humanoid-Link automation Robonaut and other robots.

The test will lead to space flying assistants capable of taking instruction from human astronauts, responding in a human-Link manner or even offering suggestions and asking for help when needed.

• Streamlining Communications between humans and robots is a first step towards building a better space team. Human beings use very colloquial language.

However, robots are not first-class citizens and they won’t necessarily understand every word.

• Researchers are focusing on enhancing Robot Spatial reasoning skills to ease routine tasks such as handling tools and equipment and allow automations to understand hand signals and gesture on their own during communications with human astronauts. The goal is to develop smoother human robot cooperation.
• Note that Ames researchers have developed intelligent computer software called mobile agents to work as data management bridge between human astronauts, rover and base computer during planetside extravehicular activity.

What we do is give the (robotic-assist) another computer running the agent system. It brings the robot into the voice network and it can speak to astronauts.

• INSTILLING ROBOTIC INSTINTS:
• One of the major challenges facing robot – human cooperation is safety. When you have robots and humans working side-by-side, there have to be safeguards. It’s not just a piece of software anymore.
• A spacesuit-clad astronauts working in the vacuum of space or on the lunar surface is already in a potentially dangerous situation, and in addition of a robot working in close quarters could prove disastrous, if the automation is not equipped with measures to prevent injury or accidental damage. The robot should never endanger the human being.
• Lunar and Mars robots also must be able to Multitask, not only to adapt to their surroundings, but also to increase utility.
• We need robots that can be team players and switch to different role as needed.
• You want robots that can see an object once and recognize it in the future, robots that dig through regolith, and robots that can create oxygen on the moon.
• CONDITIONING HUMANS FOR ROBOTS
• Changing how humans and robots interact does not solely depend on developing better machinery and ever-more sophisticated machinery. Humans will have to adjust too.

It will be a challenge for humans to work down specific robots level.

Humans tend to either decide that the robot is sort of perfect and can trust it, or the robot is unbearably stupid and should not be used.

• Built in responses to indicate confusion and understanding in a robot can act as audio cues for human operators to adjust their directions.
• Developing the proper metal models for human to use when addressing robot helpers can be reinforced through field tests.
• Tens of small field trials and up to four major simulations will likely be required to fully prepare robotic astronauts ready for a space mission.
• But the automations won’t fully supplant human explorers.

Explorers as scientists are always going to want to have situations where they want to scrap that rock, or hand-drill that sample. They will not always have to go to a robot to get the first-hand experience.

By Andrew Aroh is President of SSPI Nigeria