Now that almost anyone with a good wad of cash can travel to space, seems to be the time to send our voice assistants.
The first to take that small big step is alexa, from Amazon, which will be part of Artemis I, a series of NASA missions to launch in 2022.
Alexa will be part of a tech demo payload called Callisto, and will be integrated into NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
There, astronauts will be able to enjoy an onboard AI (in the purest HAL 9000 style of 2001: A Space Odyssey) to access information, get help with homework, and enjoy company similar to what we have with voice assistants at home.
THE Press release from the Amazon says:
While the first mission will be unmanned, Artemis I is an important step that will allow NASA and others in the industry to test technology that could be used in subsequent manned missions to the Moon and other deep-space destinations.
Alexa is one of the technologies that will be tested as part of Artemis I, and the integration will help those involved explore how environmental intelligence can help astronauts on future missions.
On the ship, Alexa will be able to access telemetry data in real time and answer mission-specific questions aboard Orion, such as “Alexa, how fast is Orion traveling?” or “Alexa, what’s the temperature in the cabin?”
Alexa will even sue requests to control connected devices aboard the spacecraft, starting with the cabin lighting.”
And, of course, Alexa will still have access to Earth, allowing future astronauts to stay connected during their missions.