Author Topic: Robonaut - Idea  (Read 5257 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Marco2001

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 353
Robonaut - Idea
« on: August 18, 2010, 10:42:39 PM »
Robonaut
(Human-like robot with design to help astronauts with their tasks)




I know that to many of you it may seem like a distand science-fiction but he's real and working! :D
The robonaut (Called "R2" for short), was developed jointly by NASA and General Motors under a
cooperative agreement, will launch on space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-133 mission set for September.
Discovery will leave R2 behind to work on the station, giving engineers a chance to see how the robot fares in weightlessness.
Operating R2 in microgravity, as well as the stations radiation and electromagnetic interference environment
will provide performance data on how a robot may work side-by-side with astronauts.



NASA has greate plans for R2. He will be send to Moon for 1000 hours of terrain sourvey operated from the earth.
The reason is clear: you dont have to bring LSS to the moon so the mission is cheaper.
Becouse there is no human onbord it's also safer. The studies conducted localy by R2 on the moon will be vital for
creating first permanent moon-base in 2018. Specialist say that the technology will be up-dated year by year.
By the year 2030 man should walk for the first time on the surface of other planet - Mars.  
R2 (actually - new version - "R3") will acompany humans in this historical struggle.
He can't be teleoperated from Earth, but he surely can be operated from Mars itself.
If the colonists needs to do some dangerous job (like clean the PVP while Radiation Storm is on) he will do it for them.
Morover - he CAN do repeted programmed functions.
What functions that may be?
Cleaning PVP, Watering/Fertilizing plants, gathering resources from Augar to ore procesor, gathering ground samples, are the one's I mainly think about.
If the server is 24 h/day player can't be always on-line. He will need someone that will help him do that things.
Riley and friends on "The Game" topic suggested A.I.Players.
I think that's not realistic - human's are inteligent and reacts very easily with their surroundings.
No computer program (especially inside the game) could imitate him good enough.
But what if instead we inserted Robonaut#2 to the Mars base in MCO? That would change it drastically!
No one expects from a robot to speak or behave self-aware of his surrounding.
If he slaps at the wall like an idiot no one cares...becouse his a robot and thats what robot's do  ;D



See the links for some more info and tell me what you think:
Robonaut 2: Your Future Coworker?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g3qzOZLs6s
Robonaut:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbYj10RYD8c&feature=related
NASA JSC Project M Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFPNcWN7QnM&feature=related
R2: Robonaut 2 / Space Robot:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXdvVdKyzPM&feature=related
GM and NASA Take Giant Leap in Robotic Technology:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yadj3asTyc0&feature=related
Robonaut 2 headed to ISS - SpacePod 2010.08.16  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yadj3asTyc0&feature=related
It has begone.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdJFCdQGGI0


Poland here. My time: GMT + 1h
Writing a book about Mars. Any ideas? Type to me.
I'am an Astrobiology/Biology student.

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2010, 11:11:40 PM »
I would find helpers like this to be highly likely to be on mars with the humans, or in place of humans.

I am unsure of their place in the game.... but...  This is far more likely to be how EVA's are done...  From safely inside a hab dome with lots of radiation shielding above their heads...

On the moon and near earth orbit, they will likely even be done from the comfort of an air conditioned NASA control room, but on mars the 20 minute delay is just too much for an earth based teleoperator.

This would also be highly useful in a couple very sad situations like loss of contact with the crew on a martian mission, and determining what was the cause of their demise.  *I am going to assume there is basically no way that living crew members could ever lose contact with NASA for an extended period of time, because even a simple walki'talkie type device could reach a sat in martian orbit and relay voice messages in an emergency.


thedubman

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 416
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2010, 05:15:36 PM »
How would the Robonaut be used? pre-programmed to do a specific task? Remote control? or automonasly (spelling sorry) ?

for the sim, pre-programming could be fun (input via main comupter -ie goto coords x,y. Execute programme drill (input depth) etc??)and automanasly (!) for when leaving a lab/Hab (automatically responds to emergencys, maintance) remote control use for dangerous jobs (repairing reactor etc) interesting allthough..

wschalle

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2010, 10:13:47 AM »
Teleoperation would be a big part of any mars colony operation.

If you had anywhere from 1-100 teleoperators on the planet or in orbit they could easily control several robots each on the surface. It would require a very robust data communications system, but it would certainly be do-able with current technologies.

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2010, 02:34:09 PM »
Anything besides teleoperation will be a MAJOR programming headache for hyper.

So much so I really doubt he would want to commit to it because the rest of MCO would languish for the year or so he was designing and programming it.

(Yes that includes if you programmed the robot yourself.  Making a interface and then all the actions possible takes a lot of work and debugging time)

thedubman

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 416
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2010, 04:38:13 PM »
What about HyperKats games rover sim?? that had pre-programming built in, very cleverly as well, was thinking along those lines- not pre- programming to recognise faces etc lol but to go to point A and do B before return to C and do D etc... ie fetch and run missions (emptying bio waste, or cleaning (err with air attachment) solar panels)

Be nice to have as a helper so say you out on surface and need tool box send robonaut to go get and return.

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2010, 07:13:01 PM »
Meh.. Maybe.. But I am betting even that preprogammed part using terrain that never varies and little to no actual AI took him quite a while.

I suppose if he could do it easily it would be neet, but I am still thinking you are underestimating it from a programming standpoint.

wschalle

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2010, 07:41:03 PM »
I think it would be pretty straightforward to code some bots that have specific commands and actions, package that in a c++ library and expose it to Lua, then build a simple Lua console/messaging interface into the game for players to use...

But then again I don't code games.

Hyper

  • Administrator
  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 1247
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2010, 07:46:10 PM »
Actually I have a remote rover already done. Check the website for the VROS demo and try it out. I built a coding language into it for some simple commands and it will probably be added at some point in the future.

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: Robonaut - Idea
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2010, 07:56:05 PM »
Oh! well then, objection completely withdrawn =)