Construction of AVATAR X

The four stages of this programme aim to build a whole new interface for interacting beyond the realms of Earth

with a long list of names already signed up to the cause. With AVATAR X welcoming the help of different companies and organisations from all sectors that are interested in taking up the challenge of this pioneering space adventure, the consortium can be officially established. Once established the official forum can begin to discuss the plan of action and road map for the future of the AVATAR X program. This phase may take a few years, as collaboration is key, and gathering the organisations and collectively deciding on an agenda will take a fair amount of time – you can’t build a great building on a weak foundation.

Once the consortium is decided on, the next step is to build the AVATAR X LAB @ OITA. This building will be the Earth-based haven of the AVATAR X operation. The site will be located in Japan’s southern prefecture of Oita, Kyushu, and will be the world’s first dedicated avatar space-test field. The building will be designed by the award-

winning architecture firm known as CLOUDS Architecture Office (CLOUDS AO). Preliminary designs of the lab are exquisite, and if constructed it will be a feat of architectural design with a unique idea to have a building held in suspension above a ‘crater’. The reasoning behind this design is that it will embody the idea of ‘being in the air’ 18 metres (60 feet) above a moon-like crater, with the building accessible by a bridge.

This building will be home to the key telecommunication and research facilities that will enable testing for avatars in space scenarios. There will also be conference rooms, exhibition rooms, restaurants and other such amenities that will be available to the researchers and visitors that come and go. This level of creativity alone mirrors the task in hand for the AVATAR X program.

The third phase will occur in the early 2020s, and consists of taking the technologies created and developed at the AVATAR X LAB @ OITA and putting them into low-Earth orbit, which can be anywhere between 160 to 2,000 kilometres (99 to 1,243 miles) above the Earth’s surface. This launch to low-Earth orbit will be used primarily for testing purposes, and tasks that can be performed in this region of space could potentially involve supporting astronauts on a space station, conducting scientific experiments and internal and external maintenance jobs. This could also be valuable in constructing, refuelling, servicing and repairing satellites and space probes in Earth orbit. Considering the ever-increasing population of satellites around Earth, to have robots in space ‘doing the dirty work’ would increase the lifetimes of many satellites.

MELTIN have already begun designs of what the avatars will look like, and have given it the name MELTANT-α. This long-distance remote-controlled robot will protect astronauts from the dangers of space while performing all the tasks needed. MELTIN have identified that in order to achieve the tasks that humans need to do, the robots have to have abilities close to that of a human. This is why they have designed MELTANT-α to have humansized hands with the same speed, flexibility, power and haptics. Their fingers will allow for the same high-precision work that humans can perform.

At this point, which is set for a time unknown, the fourth and final phase can take shape. The AVATAR X can finally be unleashed into the wilds of space and can begin with the building of bases, maintenance of rovers and other pieces of equipment, as well as providing valuable scientific data from afar. The most likely scenario is that the avatars will first be deployed on the Moon, hopefully venturing on to our neighbouring planet, Mars. This will not only be safer as opposed to using humans, it will be more cost effective and make several areas of space more accessible, all the while being controlled from the comfort of Earth.

“ANA is driven by a bold and inspiring vision of the future of flight, and this boldness doesn’t stop on our planet,” concludes Shinya Katanozaka, president and CEO of ANA. “Through innovative partnerships like AVATAR X, we are excited about the possibilities of what we can accomplish and where we can go when the private and public sectors join forces.”

“ANA is driven by a bold and inspiring vision of the future of flight, and this boldness doesn't stop on our planet” Shinya Katanozaka

Assembling the consortiumUniting all the organisations – including JAXA, XPRIZE, Meltin and others – to one common goal with a unified game-plan could prove difficult, but this is the start of the plan to make the ANA-JAXA AVATAR X program a reality. Testing in low-Earth orbitOnce the technologies have been developed it is then time to put them to the test. For this the technologies will be launched into low-Earth orbit, the home of many satellites and the ISS. These avatars will have the capability of repairing and maintaining such apparatus. Building the baseThe AVATAR X LAB @ OITA will be the base of Earth operations and research during this time. It will be the first-ever avatar space test field and will have an extremely unique design mimicking the feeling of being suspended in space and sitting above an artificial crater.

The site for the AVATAR X LAB will be at the southern prefecture of Oita, Kyushu, Japan To the Moon and beyondOnce in operation the aim of the programme is to use the exciting technologies on the Moon, Mars and beyond. This could be paramount in the erection of bases or important equipment, whether it be scientific or for any other space infrastructure. The building will be suspended 18 metres (60 feet) above a crater

MELTANT- will be remotely controlled by humans