Technology

Gathered on the ISS, the Russian FEDOR robot did not fit into the Soyuz hatch

Humanoid android FEDOR, developed byRussian specialists of the Scientific and Production Association “Android Technique” and the Advanced Research Foundation should go to the International Space Station in August of this year as part of the experimental unmanned launch of the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft. During the last tests of the machine, it turned out that the robot could not squeeze into the rather narrow hatch of the spacecraft, therefore the developers of FEDOR would be engaged in its refinement, reports Interfax agency referring to sources in the rocket and space industry.

FEDOR (Final Experimental Demonstration ObjectResearch) was developed by Russian robotics with the prospect of using it as a rescue robot in various emergencies. However, later scientists and engineers considered the prospects of its use in space missions. For example, recently it became known that FEDOR’a is going to be used during the flights of the new Russian spacecraft “Federation”, which is being developed for operation in lunar missions. There is a possibility that FEDOR may use the Luna 29 mission moon pilot, which is scheduled for 2028, as a pilot.

Why robots in space?

In any case, the benefits of robots in spacecompared to a man, there is a lot: they are not afraid of cosmic radiation, they don’t need to be fed, they don’t need space suits, they are relatively unpretentious, they don’t need to rest, they have a “stable mind”, they don’t have to be returned to Earth. Western colleagues from NASA and ESA have long been using robots in space than we are worse?

FEDOR is equipped with a voice control system andvarious special sensors. The car was half produced in the Russian Federation, part of the parts for it under the order was made in other countries. The height of the robot is 180 cm. The weight is about 160 kg. Power - 20 horsepower. Android runs on real-time OS and is able to function offline for one hour, in addition, it can be controlled at a great distance via satellite.

With the current level of algorithms and technologies“Artificial intelligence”, this concept seems to be the most optimal for space exploration: since robots do not yet have universal intelligence, people will make decisions for them. However, in remote control there is one serious nuance: the delay in the transfer of messages. It is 2.5 seconds between the Earth and the Moon (not counting the time for signal processing), so it would be easier to control the FEDORs on the Moon, for example, from the circumlining orbital station. The issue of space communications has been working for a long time. Since 2009, experiments have been carried out in the Kontur series to test the technologies for remote control of robots on the ISS and with the ISS in the framework of an agreement between Roscosmos and the German DLR.

According to the source "Interfax", FEDOR alreadypassed the fitting of the ship's chair. However, it turned out that the vehicle critically passes through the hatch of the Soyuz spacecraft, on which it will fly to the ISS. It turned out that the machine is wide at the shoulders, so it will be modernized to fit the established dimensions.

"He went through a fitting, he is currently undergoingrevision due to the fact that it is critical passes through the hatch. In zero gravity, astronauts will have to move the robot from the spacecraft to the International Space Station without any devices, ”the source said.

Russian robots on the ISS

Sending unmanned transport ship "UnionMS-14 ”to be held in August. Since there will be no people on board, this will allow the payload to be increased several times due to the lack of a part of the systems necessary for the crew to work.

RSC Energia notes that the Soyuz unmanned aerial vehicle is not a new vehicle modification.

"From the usual serial ship this optionSoyuz MC is distinguished by a modernized traffic control and navigation system (VDS) with a corresponding refinement of individual onboard systems. Our task is to test this system, as well as check the integration of the ship with the Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle, ”Interfax quotes the words of the company's general designer Yevgeny Mikrin.

Within the framework of the FEDOR’s mission, work will be studiedmachine systems. Like any scientific equipment, which in fact is FEDOR, the robot has undergone rigorous testing for compliance with the Roscosmos safety requirements.

"Since it gets to the ISS, a series oftests. It is not about simply putting him in a chair, tying him up and launching him into space. In particular, all energy systems will be powered by elements approved for use in space, ”an Interfax source added.

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