Meet CIMON-2, a New and Improved AI Robot Astronaut

The free-floating robot could make work more efficient on the International Space Station.

By Carl Engelking
Dec 5, 2019 7:30 PMDec 5, 2019 9:28 PM
cimon alexander gerst talking
CIMON interacts with German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst. (Credit: ESA)

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Supercomputers with artificial intelligence don't have a gleaming reputation as intergalactic travel pals — you know, HAL 9000 and that old yarn. But that didn’t stop space agencies from making a robot astronaut assistant anyway. 

In 2018, a $6 million basketball-sized, floating computer named CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile companioN) gained fame for its interactions with Alexander Gerst, a German astronaut and geophysicist with the European Space Agency. Now, a new and improved version of the robot — CIMON-2 — launched into orbit on Thursday, where it will soon join the International Space Station crew and aid astronauts.

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