NASA Equips Astronauts, Industry with Robotic Intelligence 

As NASA plans long-term missions on the Moon, the agency could use robots to perform routine tasks, allowing crew members to dedicate more time to science and exploration. However, robotic motion control requires complex technology and advances in features like robotic decision-making and object recognition.

These are the challenges a Boulder, Colorado-based robotics company is teaming up with NASA to overcome. 

PickNik Inc. recently worked with Shaun Azimi, who leads the Dexterous Robotics team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and other agency roboticists. The team tested software that enabled a robotic arm to recognize a spacecraft hatch, then turn the latch, grasp the handle, and open the door. The arm then was able to transfer cargo bags between the hatch and a bin. 

The work was carried out in NASA Johnson’s new Integrated Mobile Evaluation Testbed for Robotics Operations with funding from NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. 

PickNik designed and refined the robotic software, called MoveIt Pro, with support from early government investments. Commercially released in 2023, MoveIt Pro has found a significant customer base. 

Automotive company BMW is using the software on its robotic assembly lines. A company called Lightspeed is using MoveIt Pro to program huge robotic arms that build modular “panels” for constructing affordable housing. Another company, known as Hivebotics, used MoveIt Pro to automate its flagship product, a cleaning robot.

Ezra Brooks, principal software engineer at PickNik, said the 35-person company might not have a product without NASA’s early support. Robotic software requires years of research and development to refine algorithms and create a commercial product. NASA enabled much of that foundational work. 

NASA’s technological advancements unlock key capabilities for missions at the Moon and beyond while benefiting commercial industries on Earth. For 50 years, NASA has documented the everyday benefits of space technology through the agency’s Spinoff publication. To learn more about the project, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/49CNSi7

Read More

About The Author

Ben

I am the owner of Cerebral-overload.com and the Verizon Wireless Reviewer for Techburgh.com. My love of gadgets came from his lack of a Nintendo Game Boy when he was a child . I vowed from that day on to get his hands on as many tech products as possible. My approach to a review is to make it informative for the technofile while still making it understandable to everyone. Ben is a new voice in the tech industry and is looking to make a mark wherever he goes. When not reviewing products, I is also a 911 Telecommunicator just outside of Pittsburgh PA.

Twitter: @gizmoboaks

See author's posts