Future astronauts could travel with emotional support robots
To help astronauts of the future survive (幸免于) the mental (精神的) challenges that come with staying in space for quite a long time, space travelers‟ tasks could soon be accompanied(陪伴) by AI-powered, empathetic (有同理心的, 同感的) robotic helpers.
Not only does space travel present astronauts with lots of physical stresses, spending months or years in such a physically demanding (要求高的) place with limited space and the same people can also raise many mental tests as well. According to MIT Technology Review, scientists are working to alleviate astronauts from some of the latter challenges by creating "an AI assistant that's able to feel human emotion and respond (做出反应) with empathy."
While such a technology would prove itself useful by being able to predict the needs of the
crew members in space and "intervene (干预) if their mental health is in danger," it has the potential to be life-saving when humans choose to explore beyond Earth's gravitational field (引力场) and towards deep space.
Though astronauts currently on the International Space Station have an intelligent robot to interact with called CIMON, it is short of proper emotional intelligence according to NASA CTO Tom Soderstrom. As a result, a team at the organization's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is working on a more complex (复杂的) emotional support companion that can control a spacecraft's functioning in addition to tracking the crew members‟ behaviours.
Right now in the lab, an AI-equipped robot called Henry the Helper can be found walking around the grounds assisting visitors who appear confused or lost based on their facial expression. Two more emotionally intelligent robots are expected to be introduced later this year, one of which is said to be able to take part in conversations more complex than giving navigation(导航) assistance.
The team's final goal is to make a companion named Fiona the Future a reality, an emotionally intelligent cross-platform system. Fiona, if all goes according to the JPL's plans, will help keep astronauts of the future stay mentally fit as they start their journeys to deep space.
