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NASA's Personal Satellite Assistants

Posted by michael on from the battlebots dept.

colonist writes "Wired News reports on the Personal Satellite Assistant (PSA), a spherical robot about the size of a softball that uses air jets to move in the microgravity environment of space vehicles and habitats. Described as a cross between Star Trek's tricorder and Star Wars' lightsaber training droid, the PSA has 'sensors for measuring gases, temperature, and air pressure' and performs 'video conferencing and can communicate with electronic support devices such as computer servers, avionics systems, and wireless LAN bridges'." We mentioned these a few years ago - looks like they've come a long way since then.

9 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. why? by jmrobinson · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Why do they have an RS232 on the back of it? (pictured in the simulation). I'd be all about a WiFi, bluetooth, or wireless usb interface... just makes sense.

    1. Re:why? by PhuCknuT · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Because it's a prototype, and they need a way in when they're debugging the wireless hardware/software.

    2. Re:why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Sorry to spoil it for you but NASA has had wireless networking for YEARS on the shuttle, mainly because of the old wiring (they had coax before) and because in space any wire is in the way if it is across the room.

  2. Re:the BIT by CaptnMArk · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It was great when was little.

    I wonder how it would look now.

  3. Velcro by NickDngr · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Seems like it'd be a lot cheaper to put some velcro on a pda and stick it to the wall.

    --
    Yoda of Borg am I! Assimilated shall you be! Futile resistance is, hmm?
  4. Can they cooperate? by blueZ3 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Leaving aside the Beowulf cluster jokes... I wonder if these could work cooperatively? It seems like six or eight of them could move light stuff around.

    Or for projects were more than one view would be helpful (aligning parts by remote, for instance) because of the lack of image depth, you could send two or three to capture an image from different viewpoints to help with the alignment.

    Cool!

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  5. Re:Cost of Space Missions by russianspy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Exactly - how about let it go outside to do a visual scan of the station/spacecraft and send the video back in? Of course, the propulstion would need to be different. Maybe one that can walk on shuttle skin?

  6. RS-232 Purposes by Teancum · · Score: 2, Insightful

    While it may be "Old School", it is still a very useful communications option, particularly when other hardware is failing. Serial data communication is very solid, and usually easy to add or even built-in to most CPU modules that you would be use for a project like this. Bluetooth and WiFi is definitely not "built-in" like this. Essentially, for about $0.20 worth of hardware you can throw on a DB-9 port and have an excellent diagnostics access port when almost nothing else is working. I've seen RS-232 serial communication happen when almost no other communication can be taking place, due to RF interference or even fluctuating voltage levels from power supplies.

    That said, I don't think this would be used for routine communication, but rather for firmware upgrades and other long-term setup. The DB-9 port can also be used as the power connector, to help recharge the batteries inside the unit (also a part of the RS-232 specification).

  7. Re:the BIT by tassii · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I was more thinking something from Disney's "The Black Hole".

    --
    "I drank what?" - Socrates