Summary
Vyommitra (from Sanskrit: vyoma, "space" and mitra, "friend") is a female-looking spacefaring humanoid robot developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation to function on-board the Gaganyaan, a crewed orbital spacecraft. Vyommitra was first unveiled on 22 January 2020 at the Human Spaceflight and Exploration symposium in Bengaluru.[1][2]
 | |
| Manufacturer | Indian Space Research Organisation |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Year of creation | 2020 |
| Type | Humanoid robot |
| Purpose | Space-faring robot |
It will accompany Indian astronauts in space missions and will also be a part of uncrewed experimental Gaganyaan missions prior to the crewed spaceflight missions.[3]
Objectives and abilities edit
Unlike other nations that have carried out space flight, ISRO aims not to fly animals onboard experimental missions. Instead, their objective is to fly humanoid robots for a better understanding of what weightlessness and radiation do to the human body during long durations in space.[4]
Vyommitra is expected to be aboard uncrewed Gaganyaan missions to perform microgravity experiments, monitor module parameters, and rehearse supporting astronauts in crewed missions by simulating functions exactly as humans do.[5] It is programmed to speak Hindi and English and perform multiple tasks.[6][7][8][9] It can mimic human activity, recognize various humans, and respond to their queries. It can perform environment control and life support systems functions, handle switch panel operations, and give environmental air pressure change warnings.
Recently[when?] it has been learned that the prototype models have finished trials and the engineering models are undergoing trials. The flight model to be used in the Gaganyaan G- mission is also being built by ISRO.[needs update]
Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said in early February 2024 the uncrewed Vyommitra Mission is scheduled for the third quarter of 2024, while the manned mission Gaganyaan is scheduled to be launched in 2025. He also repeated that it can perform many of the capabilities listed previously.[10][11]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Dwarakanath, Nagarjun (22 January 2020). "Gaganyaan mission: Meet Vyommitra, the talking human robot that Isro will send to space". India Today. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "IAA-ISRO-ASI Symposium on Human Space Flight and Exploration was organised at Bangalore". www.isro.gov.in. 24 January 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ "Meet Vyom Mitra, first Indian 'woman' to ride to space". The Hindu. 22 January 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ^ "Why is India sending robots into space?". 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ "ISRO to send humanoid Vyommitra in unmanned Gaganyaan spacecraft ahead of human spaceflight". The Economic Times. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ Kumar, Chethan (22 January 2020). "Gaganyaan mission: First glimpse of 'Vyommitra', the humanoid for Gaganyaan; it's a 'She' | India News". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "Vyommitra is ready to launch with Gaganyaan". The Indian Express. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "'व्योममित्रा'ची पहिली झलक! भारताकडून 'ती' पहिल्यांदा जाणार अवकाशात". Loksatta (in Marathi). 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "ISRO's prototype humanoid for Gaganyaan mission is Vyom Mitra which will go to space before astronauts". www.timesnownews.com. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "Woman Robot Astronaut 'Vyommitra' Ready For Solo Space Mission Ahead Of ISRO's 'Gaganyaan'". News18. 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ "Isro's woman robot astronaut 'Vyommitra' to fly into space in third quarter of this year: Minister Jitendra Singh". The Times of India. 4 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 February 2024.