With launch just five years away, the Gateway Exploration Robotics System \u2014 better known as Canadarm3 \u2014 has arrived at a critical point where its artificial intelligence system must be properly calibrated to meet the rigorous autonomous demands the Lunar Gateway project will impose upon it.<\/p>\n
The AI solutions sought for Canadarm3\u2019s vision by MDA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) largely relate to obstacle avoidance to prevent the arm from bumping into other structures on the lunar outpost and how to work with issues like prolonged communications blackouts and less-than-optimal lighting conditions \u2014 both of which must be overcome for the Gateway.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Speaking at a recent industry day event, Chris Langley, AI Lead at MDA for Canadarm3, related some of the challenges posed to the project by the Gateway operations plan, including only one month per year of crewed occupation initially and as little as only 8 hours of communication each week.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the Gateway will also, as of now, seek to demonstrate an autonomy goal of 21 days without human intervention \u2014 during which Canadarm3 would have to operate and perform tasks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is to really push for a Mars forward type philosophy. So we would have as little as one, eight hour communication window per week. And during the rest of that, the robotics is on its own; the station is on its own. And it all has to keep functioning,\u201d said Langley.<\/p>\n
Representatives from both MDA and CSA also discussed how the solutions needed for Canadarm3 differ from those in use on the International Space Station\u2019s Canadarm2, Mobile Remote Servicer Base System, and Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (aka, Dextre).<\/p>\n