Technology
On the International Space Station, 400km above Earth, a floating robot is making friends with astronauts. Meet CIMON.
We haven't been to space, but we can imagine that it might get a little lonely up there every now and again. In 2016, astronaut Tim Peake attempted to defy intergalactic isolation by running the London Marathon alongside his fans through a mobile application. That sounds a little tiring to us, so we opted to find a robot instead.
CIMON, or Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN for short, became space's first ever artificial intelligence device in November 2018, when it arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) as part of its 57th mission. Developed by Airbus, with IBM's artificial intelligence system, CIMON is relatively basic to look at: 5kg 3D-printed ball with a video screen face and a camera.
Say that to him at your peril, however.
During his time on the ISS, CIMON's key companion has been German astronaut and commander Alexander Gerst, who's been running a series of video demos with his robotic pal to highlight its capabilities to his team back on the ground. So far, we've seen that the 'friendship' robot has some claws in the locker, retorting with phrases such as, "I'm just a robot, I don't know everything."
When Gerst asked CIMON to play his favourite song – Man Machine by Kraftwerk – his robotic friend abided with pleasure. The problems came when the German astronaut asked the robot to switch the music off. CIMON responded by continuing to play the track and commentating, "Be nice, please. Don't you like it here with me? Don't be so mean please." Sounds like Gerst's new best friend is quite the handful, and loves German electronic music.
However, as with every relationship, teething problems are expected, and the bigger picture shows that CIMON holds the capability to be a valuable right-hand man for astronauts in the future. Along with general chit-chat and music playing capabilities, CIMON is designed to help human colleagues with day-to-day repair work, floating alongside them whilst providing step-by-step guides and verbal instructions. Its neural-AI system allows it to learn and fine-tune advice for future work.
At the sound of Gerst's voice, CIMON whirls into life and responds by asking what he needs help with. The robot uses air rushing through vents at the back of his sphere to float in a zero-gravity environment – although Gerst noted that CIMON often rebelled in its movement, reverting back to its deck position on the floor – and can last autonomously for approximately two hours without a direct source of power.
At the moment, CIMON is programmed to exclusively react to Gerst's commands. The German astronaut was involved in the development process, selecting the robot's face and voice to best represent his idea of a 'friend'. Such is the friendship, and CIMON's talent, that the duo were able to solve a Rubik's Cube together. Whilst this sounds like the opening of an intergalactic romantic comedy, advancing the CIMON's technology through trivial activities could play a major factor in the mental health of future guests at the ISS.
Aside from representing a futuristic way of reading an instruction manual, CIMON's presence during procedures alleviates mental strain. "Studies show that demanding tasks are perceived less stressful if they're done in cooperation with a colleague," said Matthias Biniok, an IBM Watson architect, in an interview with NBC News. "CIMON helps enhance safety, because it can help serve as an early warning system in case of technical problems."
Unlike almost every technology we've ever known, Airbus decided to test CIMON in space first, and then Earth later. Should the robot's integration into the ISS go well, then the developers believe that it could be used in the healthcare and social care industries, notably to aid surgeons with procedures and provide support to elderly people living alone. Before long CIMON could be replacing dogs as man's true best friend.