Assistive free-flyer robots autonomously caring for future crewed outposts -- such as NASA's Astrobee robots on the International Space Station (ISS) -- must be able to detect day-to-day interior changes to track inventory, detect and diagnose faults, and monitor the outpost status. This work presents a framework for multi-agent cooperative mapping and change detection to enable robotic maintenance of space outposts. One agent is used to reconstruct a 3D model of the environment from sequences of images and corresponding depth information. Another agent is used to periodically scan the environment for inconsistencies against the 3D model. Change detection is validated after completing the surveys using real image and pose data collected by Astrobee robots in a ground testing environment and from microgravity aboard the ISS. This work outlines the objectives, requirements, and algorithmic modules for the multi-agent reconstruction system, including recommendations for its use by assistive free-flyers aboard future microgravity outposts. *Denotes Equal Contribution

This work presents an algorithm for scene change detection from point clouds to enable autonomous robotic caretaking in future space habitats. Autonomous robotic systems will help maintain future deep-space habitats, such as the Gateway space station, which will be uncrewed for extended periods. Existing scene analysis software used on the International Space Station (ISS) relies on manually-labeled images for detecting changes. In contrast, the algorithm presented in this work uses raw, unlabeled point clouds as inputs. The algorithm first applies modified Expectation-Maximization Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) clustering to two input point clouds. It then performs change detection by comparing the GMMs using the Earth Mover's Distance. The algorithm is validated quantitatively and qualitatively using a test dataset collected by an Astrobee robot in the NASA Ames Granite Lab comprising single frame depth images taken directly by Astrobee and full-scene reconstructed maps built with RGB-D and pose data from Astrobee. The runtimes of the approach are also analyzed in depth. The source code is publicly released to promote further development.

Bosch is set to launch a new AI-based sensor system to the International Space Station that could change the way astronauts and ground crew monitor the ISS's continued healthy operation. The so-called "SoundSee" module will be roughly the size of a lunch box, and will make its way to the ISS via Northrop Grumman's forthcoming CRS-12 resupply mission, which is currently set for a November 2 launch. The SoundSee module combines microphones with machine learning to perform analysis of sounds it picks up from the station, which it can use to effectively establish a healthy baseline, and then continually use new audio data to compare in order to get advance notice of potential mechanical issues via changes that could signal problems. SoundSee will be mobile via installation on Astrobee, an autonomous floating cube-shaped robot that took its first totally self-guided flight in reduced gravity in June this year. Astrobee's roving role is a perfect way for Bosch's SoundSee tech, which it developed in partnership with Astrobotic and NASA, to work on and develop its autonomous sensing tech, which it will eventually use to provide info about how systems are currently performing on the ISS, and when specific systems might need maintenance or repairs -- ideally before it becomes an issue.

One of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's autonomous Astrobee robots is operating on the International Space Station. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astrobee robot is now up and running on the International Space Station (ISS). The goal of the robot, named Bumble, for its first autonomous mission was to undock itself, follow a flight plan consisting of a list of waypoints and objectives uploaded to the robot from the ground, and then return to its dock in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the ISS. So far, the biggest hurdle to the robot accomplishing its goals has been getting its localization to work in a robust way. The robot navigates visually, but it is dependent on preexisting maps rather than doing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).

Astrobees may sound like cyborg killer insects that invade Earth to make honey from our flesh, but they actually have an Earthly origin. They are robots created by humans to help astronauts in space. Astrobees are flying robots who will help astronauts with their missions. They're designed to float inside the ISS, using fans to direct their course. NASA will send three of them, named Honey, Queen, and Bumble, to the International Space Station where they will be helping scientists and other researchers achieve tasks.

Welcome to the exciting world of audio analytics which can help to bridge this gap by learning the characteristics of human speech and the environment of communication. In space, the mechanical equipment screaming cannot be heard by anyone, unless, it is a pressurized environment with a microphone array availability nearby. Bosh and American space logistics company Astrobotic Technology Inc. will soon send roving robots into space and plan to test experimental sensor technology powered to assess how mechanical systems are running just by listening. This research will take place on board the International Space Station (ISS) and could commence as early as May 2019. The joint Bosch and Astrobotic research adds a bit of scientific repeatability to that idea, Bosch's SoundSee technology deploys an array of machine learning and microphones to study information contained in noises emitted from machinery aboard the ISS.

The International Space Station sits at an altitude of approximately 220 miles above the Earth in this photo taken by Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli from the Soyuz TMA-20 following its undocking. Inside NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley is a test environment that simulates the International Space Station's pressurized capsules. Here, aerospace engineers test the new Astrobee intra vehicular activity (IVA) robots, which will be heading to the ISS in the spring. These robots are 1-by-1-foot cubes, with an array of LED communication lights. They can function autonomously or be remotely controlled from Houston.

Since 2006, NASA has had a trio of small, free-flying robots on board the International Space Station. Called SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites), these robots have spent about 600 hours participating in an enormous variety of experiments, including autonomous formation flying, navigation and mapping, and running programs written by middle school students in team competitions. But beyond serving as a scientific platform, SPHERES weren't designed to do anything especially practical in terms of assisting the astronauts or flight controllers, and it's time for a new generation of robotic free fliers that's fancier, more versatile, and will be a big help for the humans on the ISS. Last fall, IEEE Spectrum visited NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., to have a look at the latest Astrobee prototype and meet the team behind the robot. Astrobee is a cube about 32 centimeters on a side.