Project Ichiban On the ISS, Robots Play ‘I Spy’ to Advance Object Recognition and Autonomy

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DLR's CIMON robot and Int-Ball2 from its Japanese counterpart JAXA communicated with each other for the first time on board the ISS in a game of "I see what you don't see". The systems are not designed to be able to do this: The ISS's high security standards do not normally allow communication across the boundaries of different networks in the various modules.

Robots play "I Spy with My Little Eye" - what sounds strange at first has an important background. The two robots CIMON from the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Int-Ball2 from the Japanese space agency JAXA on board the International Space Station ISS communicated with each other for the first time in the ICHIBAN experiment. ICHIBAN is Japanese and stands for the first, i.e. the first experiment of its kind in space.

The special feature: The two systems are not designed to be able to do this. New standards therefore had to be developed to close this gap. Another hurdle was that the robots are connected to different ISS networks. In addition, the experiment was developed jointly by two space agencies across several languages.

ICHIBAN: Catch in space

During the experiment, astronaut Takuya Ōnishi spoke to CIMON in the European Columbus module. He used his voice commands to control the Int-Ball2 flying camera in the Japanese Kibo module. Once the astronaut had familiarized himself with the Int-Ball2 controls, he located a number of objects inside the Kibo module and photographed them. The items had previously been hidden here. These included a Rubik's cube and standard tools on board the ISS such as hammers and screwdrivers as well as Int-Ball1, the predecessor of the current Int-Ball2. The camera image of Int-Ball2, which can normally only be seen on Earth in the Japanese control center, was streamed to the CIMON display.

What sounds simple at first is a first in space. Not only did two systems that were never designed for this purpose have to interact with each other, they also had to meet the high safety standards of the ISS. They do not normally allow communication across the boundaries of the various networks in the different modules of the ISS.

"The ICHIBAN demonstration on the ISS in cooperation with our colleagues at JAXA represents a significant milestone in space robotics. The first communication between the independently developed CIMON and Int-Ball2 systems paves the way for the integration of artificial intelligence and robotics in exploration. This achievement will significantly improve support for astronauts," says Dr. Christian Rogon, ICHIBAN project manager at the German Space Agency at DLR.

Better experiments in space

Both systems could work together in the future to support experiments and document them photographically. They could also use a camera to inspect the interior of the ISS for defects. They could also detect free-floating objects that could pose a danger to the crew and the experiments on board.(sg)