NASA recently upgraded their Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) with Nexus S smartphones running Android. The upgrade add the intelligence and hardware needed for units to become remotely operated robots. [via NASA]
By connecting a smartphone, we can immediately make SPHERES more intelligent. With the smartphone, the SPHERES will have a built-in camera to take pictures and video, sensors to help conduct inspections, a powerful computing unit to make calculations, and a Wi-Fi connection that we will use to transfer data in real-time to the space station and mission control.
16 thoughts on “NASA’s Smartphone-Powered SPHERES Robots”
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A very practical low cost way to add intelligence and connect to vast communications networks – a virtual potential “window/gateway to the world” for the SPHERES.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVn1oQL9sWg
NASA TV always manages to take the most exciting subjects and make them boring… :(
Where’s our discussion on that article?
Replying to myself, found it. Same idea different subject.
In other news: Unable to contact space station after SPHERES locate station’s repair and engineering facility.
would be cool if they would allow schools to control the SPHERES for some awesome science fun!
Angry Birds in Spaaaaaaaaace!!