SPACE EXPLORATION
Meet CIMON, the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, currently floating around the International Space
Station (ISS). CIMON is the first AI to venture beyond Earth’s atmosphere and into space. A voice-activated AI assistant, CIMON was created by the German Space Agency, Airbus and IBM to aid in onboard research and experimentation. CIMON is a freeflying spherical computer that joined ISS astronauts in April 2020. Its AI programs allow it to carry out tasks such as reading out instructions, researching information and taking notes on ISS experiments. CIMON’S presence also reduces the stresses of working in isolation by providing social assistance. It relies on a ground-based data centre. In future developments, scientists hope to make the robot independent for missions to the
Moon, Mars and beyond.