Research/ ORBITAL ROBOTICS
Free-Flying Crew Cooperative Robots on the ISS: A Joint Review of Astrobee, CIMON, and Int-Ball Operations
Seiko Piotr Yamaguchi, Andres Mora Vargas, Till Eisenberg, Christian Rogon, Tatsuya Yamamoto, Shona Inoue, Christoph Kössl, Brian Coltin, Trey Smith, Jose V. Benavides
Microgravity Mobility & Free-FlyersOpenAlex keyword: free-flying robots · HRI & TeleoperationOpenAlex keyword: human-robot collaboration · Multi-Robot & Swarmstext match
Astrobeenamed in title, abstract, keywords · Int-Ballnamed in title, abstract · CIMONnamed in title, abstract
arXivcs.ROOpenAlexSpace Exploration and Technology · Space Satellite Systems and Control · Spacecraft Design and Technology
Intra-vehicular free-flying robots are anticipated to support various work in human spaceflight while working side-by-side with astronauts. Such example of robots includes NASA's Astrobee, DLR's CIMON, and JAXA's Int-Ball, which are deployed on the International Space Station. This paper presents the first joint analyses of these robot's shared experiences, co-authored by their development and operation team members. Despite the different origins and design philosophies, the development and operations of these platforms encountered various convergences. Hence, this paper presents a detailed overview of these robots, presenting their objectives, design, and onboard operations. Hence, joint lessons learned across the lifecycle are presented, from design to on-orbit operations. These lessons learned are anticipated to serve for future development and research as design recommendations.
Comments: Author's version of a manuscript accepted at the 2025 International Conference on Space Robotics (iSpaRo25). (c)IEEE