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

机器人和自主系统的进步正在以更根本的方式改变太空探索的方式。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：部署人类到达的基础设施，在太空操作期间协助人类船员，并管理遗留资产。随着人类将触角伸向太空，他们将越来越依赖人工智能支持的机器人来处理许多支持功能和重复性任务，使机组人员能够解决需要人类认知和判断的问题。在科学探索方面，机器人航天器将继续进入地球轨道和深空，冒险前往遥远和敌对的世界，并返回宝贵的样品和数据进行科学分析。FAIR-SPACE的目标是超越机器人传感和感知、机动性和操纵、机载和地面自主能力以及人机互动方面的最先进水平，使空间机器人能够在长期任务中执行更复杂的任务，同时最大限度地减少对地面人员的依赖。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，并且需要的远程操作要少得多。这项研究将看到正在为在轨道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、在太空中制造、清除太空垃圾;未来的地面机器人，也称为行星漫游者，用于勘测、观察、开采资源，并为人类抵达和居住部署基础设施;另一个案例研究将针对国际空间站上的人机互操作性。该研究将把最好的现成硬件和软件解决方案与开拓性创新和新的标准和框架相结合，旨在开发一系列空间机器人原型和工具。这旨在以可扩展的方式加速自主系统的原型设计，其中开发的创新和方法可以快速推出，供全球空间部门广泛采用。FAIR-SPACE直接解决了工业战略绿色文件中的两个优先事项：机器人和人工智能以及卫星和空间技术。工业合作伙伴提供的明确承诺表明，需要建立一个国家资产，帮助将学术成果转化为创新产品/服务。我们的影响力计划将确保我们能够最大限度地与用户组织合作，将我们的工作与其他计划（例如InnovateUK）保持一致，并将我们的研究成果和技术有效地转移到太空以外的其他领域，如核能，深海采矿和海上能源。因此，FAIR-SPACE不仅有助于创造财富，还有助于发展具有国际领先地位的英国机器人社区。

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.