VYOMMITRA,INDIAN HUMANOID ROBOT

VYOMMITRA, INDIAN HUMANOID ROBOT

After a long waiting of 36 years since April 2nd, 1984, when the first Indian astronaut, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, entered space aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11. Gaganyaan would be the first human space mission to be conceived and developed in India, planned to launch in 2022 but before that Indian humanoid robot, VYOMMITRA will travel to space.

ISRO Chairman K Sivan had recently announced that ” The humanoid is almost ready. We want to make sure that this mission serves a purpose displaying our ability to send humans and bring them back safely. Our robot is going to be sort of a human, and be ready to do whatever a person can do, although not as extensively as humans. ”

Who is VyomMitra

Vyommitra (Sanskrit word that means ‘space friend’) has been introduced as the Humanoid prototype (with a female form)for the Gaganyaan missions a few days Before the 71st republic day of India, ISRO gave the most awaited gift to Indians the VyomMitra.

According to ISRO's  Vyommitra is still under development and is being called a half humanoid since it does not have legs, though it can bend forward and sideways.

VyomMitra, Indian humanoid robot

Function of Vyommitra

VyomMitra can recognize humans and answer questions as well as carry out certain experiments. It can monitor biological parameters and operate switch panels and ECLSS life-support activities. Even though the astronauts onboard India's first human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan are all men, the humanoid robot entering space before them would be a female.

First statement of VyomMitra

Every Indian felt proud when they listen to speaking a humanoid robot

“I am Vyom Mitra I can do switch panel operations, ECLSS [environment control and life support systems functions, be a companion, converse with the astronauts, recognize them and also respond to their queries.”. It shall be the companion for the astronaut, recognize his face and respond to various queries.

The launching date of VyomMitra

An international gathering was held on January 23, 2020, at the symposium on human space flight in Bengaluru, where  Vyommitra was introduced by ISRO Chairman K. Sivan and Principal Scientific Adviser K. VijayRaghavan.

Who designed VyomMitra

VyomMitra designed and architected by ISRO at the inertial system unit in Thiruvananthapuram for the purpose of space capsule trial in Dec 2020 and July 2021.

Characteristics of VyomMitra

To carry out functions like Facial Recognition, etc., Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools shall be used inside the VymonMitra humanoid. It shall be also trained to operate critical machines in the crew module, initially expected to do alone during the only humanoid flights and, later, as an associate of crew member within the spacecraft cabin. 

Various sensors and instrumentation inside the humanoid record the parameters like heat, noise, gravitational de-acceleration, etc. during the space flight, so that scientist makes changes to make the space flight more suitable and safer for humans. 

Safety is always the top priority for human missions. Items like space suit mimic all of the protections from the harsh environment of space and the basic resources that Earth and its atmosphere provide. The spacesuit shall too be worn by the humanoid in order to know its efficacy in space flight in the actual environment and make modifications before a human uses it for an actual flight.

The present version of Vyommitra shall still undergo various developmental cycles for an improved electronics, actuators and sensing capability. Every space-traveling humanoid needs to have multiple Degrees-of-freedom in movement. The arms, hands, torso, and legs for humanoids comprise of series of electro-elastic linear and rotary actuators so as to emulate human functions. The head part houses microprocessor chips and various other sensor suites. The power supply of Vyommitra shall be from a source in astronauts chair and with some battery backup power within its body.

Who will accompany VyomMitra in space

Primarily a technology-demonstrator mission, Gaganyaan will see three India astronauts head into the Earth's orbit to carry out scientific experiments for seven days. ISRO's 'Bahubali' launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III will be used to place the 7,800 kg Gaganyaan craft into the low-Earth orbit.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and ISRO has shortlisted four astronauts in December, who will be trained in Russia for the mission. the astronauts would start their 11-month-long training this month, most likely in the third week of January.

Budget for Vyomitra’s space capsule mission and Gaganyaan mission

The union cabinet has sanctioned 10,000 crores for the Gaganyaan project. all the four astronauts selected for the mission are men and their identity can not be revealed.

Other countries in space mission

Only three nations have been able to put a man in outer space so far: the USA, Russia, and China.

Date and timing of Indian space mission

Gaganyan will be launched in 2022 before which two trail flights uncrewed missions will be carried out by Indian space agency—one later this year Dec 2020 and another in July-2021. During these uncrewed missions, ISRO planning to send the humanoid, which strikingly resembles humans, to test the propulsion modules, crew module and the escape system, developed by the agency.

What is ECLSS

 Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). Earth’s natural life support system provides clean air, water, and other conditions that support life. However, for humans to survive in space, these functions must be done by artificial means. “The ECLSS is a system of regenerative life support mechanism which provides clean air and water to the crew through artificial means.

The main functions of ECLSS are to supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the cabin air. The particulates and micro-organisms are filtered from the cabin air.

 Also, ECLSS supplies the potable water for human consumption, food preparation and hygiene uses. Overall maintains total cabin pressure, temperature and humidity levels are undertaken by ECLSS.

 Future of Space Travel

According to expert AI embedded humanoid shall be handling the Navigation, pre-programmed experiments and regular tasks apart from assisting in various maneuvers. This humanoid shall complement the efforts of an astronaut, and provide essential crew support, leaving the astronauts time to focus on other crucial tasks.

This shall help send spacecraft deeper into space than ever before by providing support during interplanetary travel, and assist them in daily tasks. These robots could be a valuable mission partner during the long dark space journeys of years and capable of operating in degraded or damaged human-engineered environments.”

In due course, the female form of Vyommitra is likely to be modified to take on the male form since IAF personnel shortlisted for first manned Gaganyaan flight are all men, and space suit design to verify the safety parameters shall have perfect form factor as per the chosen astronauts.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has limited experience with long-duration crewed flights.  ISRO too acknowledges the responsibility it owes to the nation and understands that despite the best of the efforts, space travel for humans is always a risky business, and due to vagaries of space flight, technology is never fully fool-proof.


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