ISRO to send female robot ‘Vyommitra’ to space

The Indian Space Research Organisation has unveiled a human-robot, named Vyommitra, which will be sent to space as part of the Gaganyaan mission.

About Vyommitra

• Vyommitra is a half-humanoid who can mimic human actions and her body stops at the torso and has no legs.

Role of Vyommitra in Gaganyaan mission

• She is capable of switching panel operations, performing Environment Control and Life Support Systems functions, conversations with the astronauts, recognising them and solving their queries.
• The humanoid can detect and give out warnings if the environment changes within the cabin.
• This humanoid will simulate the human functions required for space before real astronauts take off before August 2022.
• She will be sent in a space capsule around the end of 2020 or early 2021 to study how astronauts respond to living outside earth in controlled zero-gravity conditions.
• She has been developed by the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, Thiruvananthapuram.

Other Robots in Space

• Robonaut 2: NASA, USA
• Fedor (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research): Russia
• Kirobo: Japan

About Gaganyaan Mission

• It is India’s first Human Space Flight Programme to be launched by Indian Space Research Organisation by 2022.

PAPER-III