Vyommitra, India’s first humanoid robot, designed by ISRO to assist astronauts in the Gaganyaan mission (Photo: Pinterest)
India is taking a leap forward in space exploration with Vyommitra, the country's first humanoid robot to assist humans in undertaking space missions. This robot is designed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and is going to form a part of the country's imminent Gaganyaan mission which is meant to eventually send Indian astronauts to low Earth orbit. Vyommitra is holding promise as a technological marvel which heralds the march forward of India's prowess in create robotics and artificial intelligence in space science.
The name Vyommitra has a very significant heritage from Sanskrit from vyoma, meaning space, and mitra, meaning friend, Vyommitra indicates friend in space. The name thus refers to its purpose in relation to astronauts when they travel beyond Earth their friend.
Introduced by ISRO in the year 2020, Vyommitra is more than just a mechanical dummy it is a highly sophisticated semi-humanoid robot equipped with sensors, communication devices and AI algorithms, acting to mimic human behavior as validation of spacecraft systems before the actual human crews set up for their missions.
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Vyommitra is built keeping both functionality and human-like interaction as the two main keys to design. It can grasp and respond to commands in many languages including English and Hindi for easy use by Indian astronauts. The more technical skills include the abilities to view control panels visually, mimic human gestures like head nodding and limb movement and execute tasks directed by ISRO autonomously.
A core feature is its artificial intelligence system allowing to take limited decisions in answer to regular daily situations or sudden anomalies, as this is a requisite function in order to avoid those communication delays during deep-space travel.
Gaganyaan is India's first manned spaceflight mission and Vyommitra is actively engaged in the uncrewed test flights preceding the actual mission which is responsible for operating control panels, providing communication to ground stations and monitoring essential environmental conditions such as oxygen levels, temperature and humidity.
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The System checks with switch operations and real-time updates on the spacecraft's status would be carried out by the robot. Vyommitra can imitate the human physiological responses which enable scientists to see how life-support and other systems function under realistic conditions that would then eventually guarantee astronaut safety on subsequent crewed missions.
ISRO has confirmed that Vyommitra is set for the first fully uncrewed mission with the humanoid by December this year. It will undergo more unmanned test flights to fine-tune technology before an expected launch of astronauts by early 2027. Vyommitra's development is a milestone in India's own space technology and enables a much wider vista in future applications.
Its AI and robotic capabilities stretch beyond crewed missions to potentially service satellites or planetary exploration rovers or lunar bases. As ISRO continues integrating Vyomithra systems with this humanoid friend might soon be on its way to helping astronauts in maintenance and scientific investigation in the microgravity environment of space.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal, or professional advice.
