Michael portrays future Mars robot „Valkyrie“ at Edinburgh Centre for Robotics
In December 2016 Michael visited Edinburgh Centre for Robotics to take pictures of „Valkyrie“, the next generation of human robots. Developed by NASA-JSC Valkyrie is one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world. The robot was constructed in 2015 and delivered to the University of Edinburgh in Spring 2016 for further testing and research. According to NASA, we should see the first humans landing on Mars by 2033. Along this journey, the space agency is planning to send robots first to prepare the later landing of human astronauts. The idea behind this collaboration with the Edinburgh Center for Robotics is to extend the autonomy of these robots to send them, or their descendants, in hostile environments such as Mars. The UK research team is lead by Prof. Sethu Vijayakumar.
Weighing 125 kg and standing 1.8m tall, Valkyrie will enable breakthroughs in humanoid control, motion planning and perception. The robot could help the space agency with the colonization of Mars by helping to construct a habitat for future human space explorers. The delay of communication between the Earth and the Red Planet prevent humans to remotely control robots on Mars’ surface; robots that will be needed to build structures, habitats, do common work or even scientific tasks. This delay between these two planets, which can be from 3 to 21 minutes in a one-way transmission, basically removes the possibility of remote control. If the project is successful, Valkyrie could receive general instructions and choose how to organize work time and which tool to use to fulfill various instructions. Valkyrie is also equipped with a Multisense SL Camera and LIDAR array to track its surroundings easily. Advancements in artificial intelligence and faster computers will certainly help Valkyrie perform such tasks. Humans will certainly need robots to help discover and explore planets throughout our galaxy.