avatars in spaCe
A new initiative has been launched to develop real-life robots that allow humans to venture into space… without actually leaving Earth
Space can be a dangerous place for a human. There are a number of factors in the way of human exploration of space. Even before you leave Earth’s gravity the initial ascent on a tin rocket packed with flammable fuel could end badly. Once in space the protective layer of the atmosphere is gone and you are subject to harsh radiation. With further advances in technology year after year there is a strong argument for the development of an intelligent robotic presence in space. Not artificial intelligence, but humans controlling a robotic body. This is why the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have launched the AVATAR X program. This initiative to create ground-controlled robots in space will revolutionise space exploration and discovery.
Space probes have been scientists’ main source of exploration for decades now; with the rapid improvement of technologies there is a swarm of orbiters, landers and rovers scattered throughout the Solar System. Just above Earth, gliding through lowEarth orbit, is the International Space Station (ISS), capable of accommodating six astronauts at a time. In the outer Solar System NASA’s Juno spacecraft is gathering valuable data about the gas giant Jupiter, and even farther beyond that the New Horizons spacecraft is making the first approach to a Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule. By looking at these examples, it is safe to say that man-made spacecraft are better suited to exploring the cosmos than humans are.
But how does it get better? With evolving technologies comes the evolution of human innovation and creative thinking, and this is exactly what the ANA-JAXA AVATAR X program will bring to the table. Although the programme is in its early stages of development its ambitions are clear – to put a real-life, robotic avatar into space for humans to control back on Earth. It will unite robotic space survivability with human ingenuity to create a whole new age of space exploration.
This idea came about as a result of ANA’s
AVATAR Vision and JAXA’s new research and development programme, JAXA Space Innovation through Partnership and Co-creation, or J-SPARC. It is not just these two organisations that are involved; there are a whole host of names that include Meltin, a company specialising in developing cyborg technology, and XPRIZE, the same company that cofounded the Google Lunar XPRIZE. The ANA Avatar XPRIZE is a
$10 million (£7.9 million) prize for the clever mind, or minds, that can develop real-life avatars over a four-year global competition.
“Our ability to physically experience another geographic location, or to provide on-theground assistance where needed is limited by cost and the simple availability of time,” says
XPRIZE founder and executive chairman Dr Peter H. Diamandis. “The ANA Avatar XPRIZE can enable creation of an audacious alternative that could bypass these limitations, allowing us to more rapidly and efficiently distribute skill and hands-on expertise to distant geographic locations where they are needed, bridging the gap between distance, time and cultures.”
To make this science-fiction idea a reality there are many phases to the plan, which begins with developing a base on Earth, as well as the actual avatars. Then comes the testing beyond the confines of Earth. When up and running the AVATAR X team hope that the avatars will aid construction in space, including on the lunar surface and beyond; the operation and maintenance of space stations from Earth, such as the ISS and the future Deep Space Gateway and even space-based entertainment and travel for the public, benefiting from the commercialisation of space.
The first phase in this plan is assembling the AVATAR X consortium, which has already started