Project Tango Prepping for Launch Into Space

News by:  Hamad Ali 18th April 2014

SPHERES: Google has been working with the NASA Ames Research Centre to integrate the Project Tango technology onto a robotic platform called SPHERES.The SPHERES platform is intended to be a zero-gravity autonomous unit.

  Since the summer of 2013, the Project Tango team has been working closely with a team at the NASA Ames Research Center.  The goal is to integrate a Project Tango prototype onto a robotic platform, called SPHERES, that flies inside the International Space Station. The SPHERES program aims to develop zero-gravity autonomous platforms that could act as robotic assistants for astronauts or perform maintenance activities independently on station.  The 3D-tracking and mapping capabilities of Project Tango would allow SPHERES to reconstruct a 3D-map of the space station and, for the first time in history, enable autonomous navigation of a floating robotic platform 230 miles above the surface of the earth.

  Launch of Project Tango and SPHERES are scheduled into orbit this summer. The future is awesome.

Hmm..An Android smart phone will 230 miles above to capture the 3D-map, i think  it is really a cool thing,what do you think

news source: GoogleATAP

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Robots will freely navigate the International Space Station with the help of Project Tango

News by:  Jared Peters 21st March 2014

SPHERES are the small satellites Currently used by NASA to navigate around the International Space Station. These SPHERES roam around a 6 x 6 x 6 foot cube around the ISS, and they exclusively use sound beacons to triangulate their position and move around. This is all possible thanks to a Nexus S powering each of the three SPHERES currently in operation. However, NASA is looking to upgrade those Nexus devices to something a little more powerful.

Later this year, the phones powering the devices will be upgraded to Project Tango devices, which will make them fully capable of navigation by infrared sensors as opposed to sound based triangulation that’s currently used for the devices. This upgrade will allow the little satellites to move more freely and get out of that 6 x 6 x 6 foot pen that they’re currently stuck in, which will broadly expand how useful they can be. Long term, the goal of these devices is to eventually use them to help astronauts with different missions in space.

While we’re not quite at a completely autonomous, self-thinking level with our devices, this looks like it will be a massive step forward for the robots NASA uses every day.

Here is the video:

I think we are this close to have Robots around us in daily life shortly.what do you think?

news source: talkandroid.com

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