SpaceX sends AI robot ‘crew member’ to join astronauts on space station

CIMON AI robot

A robot with artificial intelligence (AI) will be living on the International Space Station (ISS) along with other crew members, for the first time.

The first AI robot “crew member” named as CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion) launched on Friday.

CIMON was launched by SpaceX as part of its 15th cargo mission to the ISS for NASA. The robot is spherical and looks have a computer screen on one side.

The robot will use the simplified cartoon faces on its display screen to interact with the humans on the space station.

CIMON has been equipped with 14 internal fans to help it maneuver in space in a zero-gravity environment. The fans will propel the robot, by sucking in the station’s air.

CIMON is capable of nodding in response to questions and will be able to zoom up to astronauts when being called by its name. The language of communication with the robot will be English.

CIMON was initially tested out on a parabolic flight — an airplane that flies a special trajectory to create brief moments of weightlessness, according to a report by The Verge.

The prime goal is to detect whether AI robots can cooperate with astronauts to help work life in space.