Using AI to Control a Robot on the International Space Station

Imagine a robot about the size of a toaster floating through the tight corridors of the International Space Station, quietly moving supplies or checking for leaks — all without an astronaut at the controls. Such technology could free up valuable time for astronauts and open new opportunities for robotics-based exploration. That sci-fi vision is coming closer to reality now that Stanford researchers have become the first to show that machine-learning-based control can operate aboard the ISS.