Not Humans, Now Robotic Arms Will Do the Space Installations

Robotic space arm successfully completes the test by moving a suitcase-sized object

While AI experts don't concur on many things, they all accord on one thing: Artificial intelligence in robot making is going to have gigantic effects on society and business. Successfully testing the Robotic Arms on International Space Station is another milestone in the history of artificial intelligence.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has traveled another milestone for the European Robotic Arms (ERA), which "effortlessly" finished a test on the International Space Station the previous week. The 11-meter robotic arm ended its first transfer following commands from cosmonauts inside the space station as teams from Russia and the Netherlands watched like a hawk from Earth. Cosmonauts electrified the robotic arm from hibernation, extended it out, and moved a payload nearly the size of a small suitcase from one side of the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module to the other and back again. After this result, the European Space Agency (ERA) went back into hibernation. It might sound tiny, but the entire operation took almost six hours.

The European Space Agency mentioned it as "one small step for robot" but talked about its significance. "The test proved what the European Robotic Arm was built for: to move and latch payloads and equipment outside the Russian segment of the Space Station with an accuracy of 5 mm, reducing time and work for the crew," the agency stated. Furthermore, the company added, the arm completed the task "effortlessly". The test was performed on August 26 frontwards of a spacewalk scheduled for later on Friday.

Roscosmos astronauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev will walk out of the station to continue working on the robot arm after last month's spacewalk was curtailed when one of their spacesuits had battery power problems. "Oleg and Denis will relocate the arm's external control panel, pull out some restraints near the two end effectors or 'hands' of the arm, and test a rigidising mechanism that will facilitate the grasping of payloads," the ESA said. The arm will be tested again later present month in a performance mission that the ESA said would "push the arm's capabilities to the limit".