NASA is advancing new technology for robots to take care of spacecraft.
The project is called ISAAC,
which stands for Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking.
The goal is to minimize human supervision
and have robots respond to critical problems when astronauts are away.
Researchers demonstrated how the tech works using Astrobee.
The flying robots aboard the International Space Station can operate autonomously.
They have special cameras and sensors for navigation
and can create 3D maps of their environment.
For the demo, an Astrobee named Bumble was alerted to a simulated danger
and sent to find the problem.
Bumble surveyed the spacecraft with its robot vision.
It found the issue,
a misplaced "sock" blocking an air vent.
The technology will allow for new kinds of human exploration missions in deep space,
like Gateway, NASA's future lunar orbiting outpost.
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