Bees robots will appear on the ISS to perform routine tasks

In 2006, the NASA space agency sentto the International Space Station robots SPHERES to conduct various studies. The project was successful, so the researchers continued to send such assistants - in 2018 a CIMON robot arrived on the ISS, and at the end of April 2019 two Astrobee robots would fly in to help astronauts. According to representatives of NASA, they will be engaged in the implementation of routine tasks so that the crew members will have more time for other tasks.

Bee-robots were developed in Researchdowntown Ames in California. They are small boxes equipped with a set of cameras and sensors for navigation, tracking the crew, sampling and other tasks. They are also equipped with a touch screen, speakers, microphone and mechanical arm to interact with objects.

The devices are able to fly in zero gravity.and powered by battery power. The charge, of course, is not infinite - when it dries out, the robot independently flies to the nearest docking station to replenish the charge.

Using tens of thousands of tools, Astrobeecan check the location of items. Robots can also monitor environmental conditions, such as air quality or sound levels, freeing up the time of astronauts and maintaining their health.

Due to the presence of cameras and microphone dispatchers,those on Earth will be able to monitor the situation at the Space Station, controlling the robots through the remote control. In addition to simple inspection, remote operators can even conduct research.

Our @Space_Station crew is gaining 3 robotichelpers - Astrobees! ? These cube-shaped robots will stay busy, flying around the orbital lab assisting basic tasks & allowing our astronauts more time for science. But how will they do it? See for yourself: https://t.co/ghyiMwrWZ8 pic.twitter.com/qwwk5wljeH

- NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2019

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NASA researchers want to actually see howthere will be interaction between humans and robots in an isolated space for a long time. At the same time, the crew of the ISS and the "bees" will be in close proximity to each other - it is important to follow this, because in future such robots can be used in future missions to study the Moon and other planets.

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