Space agencies develop AI companions to help astronauts combat loneliness, mental illness on long space trips
By David Aaro | Fox News
Space agencies around the world, including NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), are exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) companions to help astronauts stave off loneliness, combat space-induced mental illness and assist with work on multi-year trips.
“Deep space travel will pose unique challenges to crew, challenges that are inherently different from those currently experienced on orbit,” explained Alexandra Whitmire, a scientist with NASA’s Human Factors and Behavioral Performance team, during an interview with Space.com. “Given the distance of Mars, for example, the duration of such a mission will last around 2.5 years.”
Both NASA and the ESA have been researching the potential of AI-powered companions to support astronauts’ mental health and workflows during long journeys. In 2018, ESA debuted the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, known as CIMON, a round volleyball-like computer that floated around the International Space Station (ISS) and could aid astronauts with experiments. Later iterations of CIMON acted as an empathetic human companion aiming to connect emotionally with the crew, and could answer voice-prompted questions and record interactions.
“A host of science fiction films have included AI systems that are intended to aid space explorers, such as HAL 9000 from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,'” Whitmire said. “Real-world AI systems, however, need additional work.”
NASA astronaut and Crew-7 Commander Jasmin Moghbeli poses for a photo in the first moments the Crew-7 members arrive on the International Space Station in August. (NASA)
NASA is also utilizing AI for other projects, such as preparing for solar storms’ impacts, finding UFOs, and potentially hazardous asteroids. Meanwhile, Japan’s space agency, JAXA, was the first in history to incorporate AI into a rocket, the Epsilon spacecraft, which debuted in 2013, according to the ESA. The Epsilon’s AI conducted system checks and monitored performance autonomously.
In addition to NASA and the ESA, the French Space Agency, the U.K. Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency have all funded AI projects. However, Whitmire stressed the importance of AI tools simply aiding astronauts, rather than replacing human interaction and support.
“While I think AI has the potential to provide support and could augment measurement and diagnostics as well, our mission (of supporting the mental health of future crews) remains largely human-centric and human-driven,” Whitmire said.
As space agencies continue to make headway in their development of AI companions, it will be interesting to see how these tools could positively impact the mental wellbeing and productivity of future space travelers on long-duration missions.