Future AI and Robotics Hub for Space (FAIR-SPACE)

机器人技术和自主系统的进步正在以更根本的方式改变探索太空的方式。人类和科学探索任务都受到这些发展的影响。在人类探索方面，机器人充当代理探索者：为人类到达部署基础设施，在太空操作期间协助人类机组人员，以及管理遗留资产。随着人类将触角伸入太空，他们将越来越依赖人工智能驱动的机器人来处理许多支持功能和重复性任务，使工作人员能够将自己投入到需要人类认知和判断的问题中。在科学探索方面，机器人航天器将继续进入地球轨道和遥远的深空，冒险前往遥远和充满敌意的世界，并为科学分析带回有价值的样本和数据。FAIR-SPACE的目标是在机器人传感和感知、机动性和操纵、机载和地面自主能力以及人机交互方面超越最先进的技术，使太空机器人能够在对地勤人员的依赖最小的情况下执行更复杂的任务。更智能和灵巧的机器人将更加自给自足，能够自主检测和响应船上的异常情况，并且需要更少的远程操作。这项研究将为在轨或行星表面使用的机器人平台开发新技术，即：未来的在轨机器人，其任务是修理卫星、组装大型太空望远镜、在太空制造、清除太空垃圾；未来的地表机器人，也被称为行星漫游者，用于测量、观察、提取资源，以及为人类到达和居住部署基础设施；进一步的案例研究将针对国际空间站上的人机互操作性。这项研究将把最好的现成硬件和软件解决方案与开创性的创新、新标准和框架结合起来，旨在开发一系列空间机器人原型和工具。该项目旨在以可扩展的方式加速自主系统的原型设计，使所开发的创新和方法能够迅速推广，在全球航天领域得到广泛采用。FAIR-SPACE直接解决了工业战略绿皮书中的两个优先事项：机器人和人工智能以及卫星和空间技术。工业合作伙伴作出的明确承诺表明，需要建立一种有助于将学术成果转化为创新产品/服务的国家资产。我们的影响计划将确保我们能够最大限度地与用户组织合作，使我们的工作与其他项目（例如InnovateUK）保持一致，并有效地将我们的研究成果和技术转移到核能、深部采矿和海上能源等太空以外的其他领域。因此，FAIR-SPACE不仅有助于创造财富，还有助于发展一个具有领先国际形象的英国机器人社区。

Advances in robotics and autonomous systems are changing the way space is explored in ever more fundamental ways. Both human and scientific exploration missions are impacted by these developments. Where human exploration is concerned, robots act as proxy explorers: deploying infrastructure for human arrival, assisting human crews during in-space operations, and managing assets left behind. As humans extend their reach into space, they will increasingly rely on robots enabled by artificial intelligence to handle many support functions and repetitive tasks, allowing crews to apply themselves to problems that call for human cognition and judgment. Where scientific exploration is concerned, robotic spacecraft will continue to go out into Earth orbit and the far reaches of deep space, venturing to remote and hostile worlds, and returning valuable samples and data for scientific analysis. The aim of FAIR-SPACE is to go beyond the-state-of-the-art in robotic sensing and perception, mobility and manipulation, on-board and on-ground autonomous capabilities, and human-robot interaction, to enable space robots to perform more complex tasks on long-duration missions with minimal dependence on ground crew. More intelligent and dexterous robots will be more self-sufficient, being able to detect and respond to anomalies on board autonomously and requiring far less teleoperation. The research will see novel technologies being developed for robotic platforms used in orbit or on planet surfaces, namely: future on-orbit robots tasked with repairing satellites, assembling large space telescopes, manufacturing in space, removal of space junk; and future surface robots, also known as planetary rovers, for surveying, observation, extraction of resources, and deploying infrastructure for human arrival and habitation; a further case study will target human-robot interoperability aboard the International Space Station. The research will merge the best available off-the-shelf hardware and software solutions with trail-blazing innovations and new standards and frameworks, aiming at the development of a constellation of space robotics prototypes and tools. This aims to accelerate the prototyping of autonomous systems in a scalable way, where the innovations and methodologies developed can be rapidly spun out for wide adoption in the space sector worldwide. FAIR-SPACE directly addresses two of the priorities in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper: robotics & artificial intelligence and satellite & space technologies. The clear commitment offered by the industrial partners demonstrates the need for establishing a national asset that will help translate academic outputs into innovative products/services. Our impact plan will ensure we can maximise co-working with user organisations, align our work with other programmes (e.g. InnovateUK) and effectively transfer our research outputs and technology to other sectors beyond space such as nuclear, deep mining and offshore energy. FAIR-SPACE will therefore not only help in wealth creation but also help develop a robotics UK community with a leading international profile.