Floating robot to join the International Space Station

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will welcome a new passenger later this year: a floating, talking robot. Cimon, a free-flying ball-shaped robot with a smiling face, an appreciation of music and a vocabulary of more than 1,000 sentences, is set to join the crew of the ISS. Short for Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, Cimon is designed to float and fly around the ISS offering technical help, warning of system failures and dangers, and providing a source of entertainment. Free-flying drone Cimon, pictured, is'taught' to recognize a face. He has an artificially intelligent brain, an eight inch display screen, and uses propeller-driven thrusters to move about in weightless conditions.