By 2020, several Japanese robots may appear on board the International Space Station at once, which will do the dirtiest and most dangerous work, while the real ISS crew will be able to devote themselves entirely to more complex and scientific projects. However, sending robotic handymen assistants to the ISS is only a preliminary goal of the Japanese space agency JAXA, which, together with the startup GITAI, is developing robotic avatars that will allow people on Earth to perform work in space using telepresence technology.
The principle of the system is quite simple. The operator on Earth controls the robot using a suit with sensors and a virtual reality helmet. A humanoid robot avatar in orbit fulfills the operator's commands in real time.
Another video from GITAI shows how a robot performs various actions in an environment similar to those of the ISS. He operates various switches, opens tool boxes and performs other minor tasks.
Every GITAI robot that travels to the ISS will be equipped with a 360-degree camera to stream video to Earth. The signal delay between the robot in orbit and the operator on Earth will be about 60 milliseconds.
Nikolay Khizhnyak