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international space station

ISS National Lab launches Orbital Edge accelerator with up to $750,000 per startup and ISS flight access

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ISS National Laboratory has launched the 2026 Orbital Edge Accelerator, a new startup program designed to help deep-tech companies accelerate research, commercialization, and fundraising through access to the International Space Station.

The accelerator will select six startups, with each company eligible to receive up to $750,000 in venture funding alongside the opportunity to conduct ISS National Lab-sponsored in-orbit research projects.

According to the ISS National Lab, the program combines venture investment, orbital testing opportunities, mentorship, and commercialization support to help startups shorten development timelines that would otherwise take years using conventional laboratory and field testing. [Read more…] about ISS National Lab launches Orbital Edge accelerator with up to $750,000 per startup and ISS flight access

Virtual Incision’s miniaturized surgical robot en route to International Space Station

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Virtual Incision, the developer of the MIRA Surgical System, says that spaceMIRA is currently in transit to the International Space Station.

The device is aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The 2024 technology demonstration mission is driven by a grant awarded from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the University of Nebraska through the Established Program to Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. [Read more…] about Virtual Incision’s miniaturized surgical robot en route to International Space Station

Machine learning: Bosch sends sensor system to space station

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Bosch in North America and Astrobotic Technology Inc. have announced a research partnership to send experimental sensor technology to the International Space Station (ISS) as early as May 2019.

Bosch’s SoundSee technology is a deep audio analytics capability that uses a custom array of microphones and machine learning to analyse information contained in emitted noises.

SoundSee’s analytics will investigate whether audio data from equipment could be learned and understood using advanced software, such that it could be used to improve the operations of the ISS.

[Read more…] about Machine learning: Bosch sends sensor system to space station

First AI-powered astronaut assistant debuts in space station

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Cimon, the world’s first artificial intelligence-enabled astronaut assistant, has made its debut aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The ISS’s newest crew member, developed and built in Germany, was called into action on Thursday with the command, “Wake up, Cimon!,” by German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, who has been living and working on the ISS since June 8.

Cimon (which stands for Crew Interactive Mobile Companion), responded to Commander Gerst by saying, “What can I do for you?” The five-kilogram, plastic orb then went through a series of operational steps, including weightless navigation, to demonstrate its capabilities.

[Read more…] about First AI-powered astronaut assistant debuts in space station

Spherical robot designed and developed by Airbus, IBM and DLR to be launched into space later today

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Later today – at 5.42am EST to be exact – a spherical robot designed and developed by IBM, Airbus and DLR will be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a SpaceX rocket on a journey to the International Space Station.

The robot, called “Cimon”, is said to contain “next-level intelligence” and will take part in many scientific experiments on the ISS mission.

Cimon – which is pronounced “Simon” and stands for Crew Interactive Mobile Companion – is about the size of a basketball and will accompany German astronaut Alexander Gerst.  [Read more…] about Spherical robot designed and developed by Airbus, IBM and DLR to be launched into space later today

Alien robot to visit International Space Station

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The International Space Station is to receive a visit from an alien robot called Cimon, pronounced Kimon, from Planet Earth. 

Cimon – Crew Interactive Mobile CompanioN – was developed by Airbus in cooperation with IBM, and is described as an artificial intelligence-based assistant for astronauts for the DLR, or German, Space Administration.

The technology demonstrator, which is the size of a medicine ball and weighs around 5 kg, will be tested on the ISS by Alexander Gerst during the European Space Agency’s Horizons mission between June and October 2018. [Read more…] about Alien robot to visit International Space Station

Nasa astronauts carry out maintenance work on robotic arm on the International Space Station

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Nasa astronauts went on a spacewalk today to replace one of the two Latching End Effectors on the International Space Station’s robot arm, called Canadarm 2. 

The two astronauts were named as Commander Randy Bresnik and Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei, and the duration of the spacewalk was said to be 55 minutes.

The astronauts also carried out a range of additional maintenance and upgrading tasks, including the removal of the multi-layer insulation from a spare direct current switching unit, and preparing a flex hose rotary coupler for future use.  [Read more…] about Nasa astronauts carry out maintenance work on robotic arm on the International Space Station