Mission Artemis: why Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant, will be there

In an old episode of the series Star Trek, the ship commanded by Captain Kirk finds itself equipped with a state-of-the-art computer called “N5”, operating a million times faster than the human brain and capable of answering all the questions it is asked. We are still a long way from being able to develop this kind of technology. But scientists are inspired by it. The Orion spacecraft, which takes off normally – without a human passenger – this Saturday as part of the Artemis mission, will carry with it a small box to operate Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant. Far from being a gimmick, putting this tool into orbit will serve to prepare for future long-distance space travel.

“Astronauts’ routine already relies a lot on the voice, explains Sébastien Barde, deputy director of exploration & manned flights, at the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) in Toulouse. Those who are housed in the International Space Station (ISS), for example, are guided and sometimes filmed when they carry out a maneuver or when they carry out scientific experiments. This works well because the Earth remains close. But tomorrow, when Man travels to the red planet, communications will become more difficult. He It could be 40 minutes before an astronaut receives an answer from Earth to any of these questions.” This is why scientists are very interested in voice assistants.

“The idea is to somewhat replace the expert present on the ground, who will no longer be there”, specifies Sébastien Barde. Of course, to be effective, the embedded system will have to be autonomous because it will not be able to rely on the cloud in the depths of space. One of the challenges will therefore be to build the database enabling voice assistants to fulfill their tasks. “We will never ask this kind of device to depressurize the cabin. The most critical functions will always require the activation of physical controls”, assures Sébastien Barde. However, Amazon teams are already specifying that it will be possible to ask Alexa what the flight speed is or to control certain equipment such as cabin lights.

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A company assistant

In the future, voice assistants could prove useful when it comes to performing an ultrasound on board a spacecraft. This medical gesture provides valuable information on the health of astronauts, but it is not always easy to perform. The crew members must do it themselves, but they are not specialists in this kind of practice. Sometimes their organs moved due to the prolonged absence of gravity. “Before, the astronaut was guided by voice from the ground, but new methods are emerging, such as augmented reality to position the probe correctly. Eventually, we could very well imagine the use of a voice assistant. And it’s the same for repairs,” said Sébastien Barde.

Better, the assistants will also serve as company for humans in transit to other planets. “This technology is being studied very seriously, confirms Sébastien Barde. The first estimates tell us that a mission to Mars would last three years on average. But so far, the longest stays on the ISS do not exceed one year!” How will the astronauts resist the loneliness and the remoteness of their home planet?

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To try to find out, the ISS has already welcomed on board CIMON, a robot with rounded shapes equipped with a screen on which a face appears. This device is able to see, hear, understand and speak. He can turn to the astronaut when he speaks to him, nod or shake his head and follow a person autonomously or on command”, specifies its manufacturer Airbus. With Alexa, scientists will be able to further their research on human/computer interactions and bringing us a little closer to the great stories of SF like Star Trek or 2001, a space odyssey.