NASA's New Inflatable Robotic Astronauts May Replace Metallic Robots In Space

It is said that NASA is investing in robots that put an end to the old classic metal joints and alternatively, navigate by rapidly deflating and inflating air sacs. The first one of its kind must be King Louie, which was named by scientists from Brigham Young University. Also, the robot is stated to look similar to a crossbred between a Bobo Doll and a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot. Despite its daunting look, the robot could potentially contribute a lot to the point that NASA would have these inflatable robots on their space expedition.

The robot is filled with a variety of expandable air chambers, which would act similarly as how muscles do, maneuvering its limbs around while expanding and contracting in response to the air compressor installed inside them.  

What kind of benefits these robots could bring to a space expedition? These inflatable robots have lesser weighed compare to its metallic counterpart, also, with its capability to be collapsed into a considerable small size so it can save money and save while sending it to space.

However, there are still some difficulties lie at hand, with the most notable one is those slight differences orientations that the robots find themselves in every time they inflated and deflated again.

The differences, however, could have a different effect compared to that of metallic robots’. This effect could pose many difficulties in programming the inflatable robot’s limbs. However, the scientists from Brigham Young have found a way to train and guide the robot movements so that the robot could learn the height and the distance between itself and the object it needs to reach despite those small changes caused by its inflation or deflation.

The robot is not qualified for its first blastoff yet, however, scientists are helping it learning to control its bulky stature. Astronauts could potentially have a new air-filled, inflatable companion to help with them with their task.