CIMON: Design lessons from a robotic assistant in space

CIMON was developed by Airbus on behalf of the German Aerospace Center to assist astronaut Gerst in completing three different tasks. It is also a collaborative robot. The three tasks include solving a Rubik's Cube, experimenting with crystals, and filming medical experiments. CIMON can even serve as a complex database that stores necessary information about the operation and maintenance of experiments and equipment on the International Space Station. If you want to shoot a set of video instructions, CIMON can also help you handle it.

Although the design was inspired by science fiction, the spherical design has more practical applications in microgravity environments (below). "The main challenge was to create a robot that astronauts could accept," said Till Eisenberg, Airbus project manager.

"Everything in the space station is rectangular, it's a very high-tech environment, and we wanted to find a balance," Eisenberg said.

This is CIMON at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany (Credit: DLR/T.Bourry/ESA)

CIMON can serve as a focal point for balancing the system and making the astronauts' work more manageable, which is very important. Judith-Irina Buchheim, a researcher at the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital in Munich, Germany, believes that CIMON provides assistance to astronauts and reduces the stress they face. In addition, researchers believe that this also has an impact on the human immune system. This simple spherical design is in stark contrast to the boxy technical environment inside the International Space Station, but it also has other advantages.

Because CIMON is the first robot that can fly freely inside the ISS, safety is a very important issue. Normally, the rule in microgravity is that everything must be secured to prevent objects from floating around and going into places they shouldn't be. Eisenberg said that sharp edges would be dangerous because they would float around inside the ISS and could hit walls, equipment or astronauts.

Although CIMON's design will not hurt anyone, it may collide with astronauts working in a crowded space, which may be annoying for astronauts. To avoid this, CIMON integrates 12 ultrasonic sensors that enable it to detect obstacles and sense approaching objects. These sensors can measure the distance from obstacles or astronauts to CIMON in real time.

The 14 fans integrated inside allow CIMON to move and rotate in all spatial directions. During CIMON's movement, the integrated dual 3D camera sensors can collect information about depth and the relationship between different features, and build a map based on the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm. An integrated front camera and face recognition software will focus on Gerst's eyes, allowing CIMON to automatically position itself to simulate eye contact.

If Gerst wants to attract CIMON's attention, while CIMON is doing something else, like looking out the window and admiring the scenery, Gerst can turn in CIMON's direction and talk to CIMON. A microphone array will detect the sound of Gerst's voice, and CIMON will adjust its direction until the speaker enters the field of view of its camera, at which point eye contact will be established.

In the last test, Eisenberg and CIMON boarded the Airbus A300 Zero-G aircraft for a parabolic flight test. Eisenberg said that this flight was a great experience and something that everyone should try. The aircraft will take off at a 45-degree angle and then descend at a 45-degree angle. During the process, a microgravity environment will be formed. This stage will last about 20 seconds. A typical parabolic flight test will be carried out about 30 times per flight.