Google Cloud, NASA test robotic system for deep space missions

[Google Cloud] Google Cloud said its public sector team, working with NASA's Human Research Program, Johnson Space Center Robotics Team and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is developing a proof-of-concept physical robotic system aimed at supporting deep space missions and assisting astronauts. The system is designed as a versatile payload handler for cargo, logistics and equipment, and can pivot to medical support, such as retrieving and preparing an ultrasound machine for a crew member with suspected kidney stones. In a demonstration at Johnson Space Center's iMETRO facility, the system performed a pick-and-place maneuver to locate and move a medical bag; using an eye-to-hand camera configuration, the open-source Pi0 model developed on Google Cloud infrastructure achieved an initial 85% baseline success rate in early lab environments, according to Google Cloud.