IBM's "flying brain" Watson heads into space

By Matthew Griffin Intelligence and the Senses 8th March 2018

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

As the space industry steps looks to explore more space and even colonise and mine new planets the demands on astronauts is increasing, so CIMON and its descendents will be used to help lighten their load and make them more productive.

IBM Watson is coming to the International Space Station (ISS) in the form of a “floating brain,” after Airbus went out to find a partner who could help them build an Artificial Intelligence (AI) specifically designed for living on the ISS where Watson’s new name will be Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, or CIMON for short.

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“CIMON will be the first AI-based mission and flight assistance system,” said Manfred Jaumann, Head of Microgravity Payloads at Airbus, “we are the first company in Europe to carry a free flyer, a kind of flying brain, to the ISS and to develop artificial intelligence for the crew on board the space station.”

Meet CIMON

CIMON, which at first glance doesn’t look too dissimilar to some of the other robots that are already flying around the ISS, is around the size of a medicine ball and weighs around 11 pounds (5 kg), and its entire structure, which is made up of plastic and metal, was created using 3D printing.

First conceived of in August 2016, CIMON has been built with one specific astronaut in mind from the beginning. Airbus worked with German astronaut Alexander Gerst in everything from training CIMON to recognise his voice to the AI’s graphic interface.

After CIMON’s functional testing is complete, Gerst will take it into space where it will begin helping him in three test runs, namely experimenting with crystals, working together to solve a Rubik’s cube and performing a complex medical experiment using CIMON as a flying camera.

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CIMON will only have limited features in its initial voyage into space, which could come as early as next month and its basic testing will consist of optimising what are known as GNC algorithms, which stands for guidance, navigation and control, but researchers have high hopes that it, or some equivalent, will be able to accompany astronauts on longer journeys into space in the future.

Although Watson hasn’t always lived up to what some have called its “marketing hype” its framework should provide a good guide for creating a usable assistant in space, and if it can get that Rubik’s cube down with Gerst, then it could be one step closer to becoming a sidekick for future astronauts everywhere.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.