Skip to main content

Friendly cube robot Bumble passes its first hardware test aboard the ISS

NASA astronaut Anne McClain performs the first series of tests of an Astrobee robot, Bumble, during a hardware check. NASA

There are some unexpected guests aboard the International Space Station (ISS): cute cube robots called Astrobees which help the crew with day to day tasks. Now the first Astrobee robot has undergone hardware tests to check whether its subsystems, including avionics, cameras, propulsion, and docking for power and data transfer, are working correctly. The tests were performed in advance of the full launch of the robots later this spring.

NASA astronaut Anne McClain was responsible for checking out the status of the Astrobees, and you can see her tending to one of the robots called Bumble in the photo above. The docking station where the Astrobees recharge is located to her right, and was installed into the Kibo ISS module on February 15.

Recommended Videos

McClain was calibrating the Astrobee by mapping the Kibo module. The robots will be used for assistance tasks, and can work either autonomously or by remote control. They perform tasks like taking inventory, documenting steps taken by the astronauts as they perform experiments (by taking pictures using their on-board cameras), or moving cargo through the station. The bots are also little scientists themselves, as they can act as a research platform which can carry out experiments when outfitted with the required elements.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Bumble, the first Astrobee robot to power up in space, blinks while connected to its docking station in the Kibo module of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Bumble has two friends, adorably named Honey and Queen, and the trio were sent up into space aboard a April 17 launch from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The launch was handled by Northrop Grumman which carries supplies to the station as part of its commercial resupply contract.

Each robot is a cube shape measuring one foot per side, and is equipped with an arm which allows it to grab onto handrails around the station. This lets the robot stay in place to assist astronauts with tasks, and conserves energy when it is not moving around.

The hope is that these robot pioneers can collect information about how to assist astronauts, so that hardware and software can be developed for future missions.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
SpaceX launches Cargo Dragon to ISS, catches booster on new ship for first time
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Cargo Dragon spacecraft toward the International Space Station.

SpaceX has successfully launched a Cargo Dragon resupply ship on its way to the International Space Station (ISS), where it will deliver both scientific experiments and supplies for the crew. The Dragon was launched using a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:14 a.m. ET (12:14 a.m. PT) on Sunday, August 29, after a one-day delay from its original launch date due to poor weather.

The Dragon will now travel to the space station throughout Sunday before arriving at around 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) on Monday, August 30. This marks SpaceX's 23rd resupply mission to the ISS.

Read more
How to watch Northrop Grumman launch its 16th cargo mission to the ISS this week
A Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft is grabbed by the ISS's robotic arm.

NASA Live: Official Stream of NASA TV

This Tuesday, August 10, an uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft will be launched on a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), packed with scientific research and supplies for the crew.

Read more
ISS astronaut describes his first 100 days in space
Thomas Pesquet aboard the International Space Station.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet has described the first 100 days of his latest space mission as “magical” but also “routine.”

While many earthlings back on terra firma might think that living and working aboard the International Space Station (ISS) offers endless thrills, Pesquet reminds us that some of the time spent aboard the orbiting outpost is far from exciting.

Read more