NASA sent cargo shipment to the International Space Station last month, with the necessary supplies and also the cube-shaped robot to help the astronauts onboard. The robots were named as astrobees, and now the space agency has shared the first images of the robots helping the astronauts in daily routine. Amongst the shared images, we can see a cube-shaped robot, named as “bumble.” NASA also shared some more information about how these cube-shaped robots work and help the astronauts and what is the significance of sending these robots on the International Space Station.
The main aim of the robots is to help the astronauts in tedious tasks, which would take most of the times. With the help of robots like Bumble, the astronauts can complete specific tasks without actually involved in the same and without spending much time. Most of the everyday functions which would require manual labor like inventory management, moving around cargo, and using cameras to document experiments. The Spacebees robots are designed to work in the Microgravity environment at the International Space Station so the astronauts won’t face any issues with the maneuver of these small robots.
In the images shared by NASA, we can spot Bumble Robot with astronaut Anne McClain. She performed specific experiments in collaboration with the ground control with Bumble. The tests include the experiments to confirm the working condition of the features like propulsion, cameras, avionics, docking, and ability to transfer data in the microgravity environment. The docking system enables the robots to return to the docking station once they’ve completed the assigned tasks or need to charge the batteries. All of the Astro bees robots utilize the electric fans to navigate through the weightless environment. Also, they can fly freely in the International Space Station.