JEDDAH — Kirobo, the little Japanese robot jointly developed by Dentsu Inc. (Dentsu), Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo (RCAST); Robo Garage Co., Ltd. (Robo Garage) and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) set foot on the International Space Station (ISS). Kirobo will be part of the first conversation experiment held between a person and a robot in space. Before Kirobo could go on this long journey he had to undergo a multitude of vigorous tests. Zero Gravity testing The gravity on the ISS is one millionth of the gravity on Earth, which is almost zero-gravity. This is a state where there is almost no gravity acting on substances. On the ISS, many experiments are conducted using this zero-gravity state. So any vibration which might upset zero-gravity must be suppressed. Operating in Low-Gravity There is almost no gravity on the ISS where Kirobo will stay. This means very little energy is needed to move yourself or other objects. The 'low-gravity experiment' is used to find out if, there is a chance the robot would spin in its place as a result of its own movement. This experiment was performed in a small jet airplane. A low-gravity state of 10-2 (1/100 of the gravity on Earth) was generated for 20 seconds each time the jet airplane rose sharply into the air. Silence Please The aim of this experiment is to make sure the sound emitted by the robot does not cause the other astronauts any trouble. The level acceptable for the astronauts to operate comfortably is below 49dB. There are two types of sound emitted by the robot; the sound from the motor 20 motors which move in combination to allow the various movements of the robot and the air-cooling fan prevents the robot from over-heating. The resulting sound level from the robot was 47.9dB. Please switch off your phones On a plane you are asked to turn off your cell phones. That is because the electromagnetic waves emitted by cell phones could cause the plane instrument or pacemakers of passengers to malfunction. Same goes for a space shuttle. The Electro-Magnetic Compatibility experiment (EMC) is to check; Whether the electromagnetic waves from the robot will affect equipment or apparatus of the ISS. Whether the robot can withstand the electromagnetic waves generated from the space station. Syncing three software systems This robot has three different types of software. The communication software on the ISS (CSW = Communication Software/ by JAMSS), the software for the robot to identify sound and visual (IVS = Image Software/ by Toyota) and the software to move the robot itself (RSW = Robot Software/ by ROBO GARAGE). These three systems were developed separately by different companies, making it difficult to link them. It took seven retrials of the experiment until this huge hurdle was taken. No room for gases The offgas experiment aimed to check that the parts and material that form KIROBO do not emit toxic gas. The ISS is a closed area, which means that a toxic gas can be very dangerous. KIROBO was placed under high temperature to let out all the gas. KIROBO was exposed to 50°C for 72 hours. KIROBO passed the real test and can stay with the astronauts without making the air dirty. Keeping it cool! Thermal analysis aimed to check that KIROBO does not get too hot inside of the ISS. On Earth there is always an air current. The phenomenon of a “substance cooling” is caused by the flow of air. The air surrounding a hot substance will be warmed, becomes lighter and rises. However, in zero-gravity this air current will not occur. When something becomes hot, it remains hot. In the ISS a slight flow of air is created artificially. If this does not exhaust heat sufficiently, KIROBO's parts can be damaged as his maximum surface temperature is set at 49°C. KIROBO's surface temperature remained under 47°C, and the mission could be safely carried out in space. Shake it! This shake experiment aimed to check that KIROBO can withstand the vibration of the rocket when it is launched. During the launch, KIROBO was put in a special box called CTB (Cargo Transfer Bag) which is filled with cushion material. The experiment was conducted with vibrations in three directions, lengthwise, widthwise and depth wise. The result showed that KIROBO functioned properly after receiving the three different vibrations. An Extra 2,5V The voltage drop experiment aimed to check "how much the voltage drops" when we pass electric current through a cord connecting KIROBO to the ISS. Generally, when electric current flows, voltage drops in relation to the distance. It was discovered that when an electrical current of 5V was passed through a six-meter cord, the voltage reaching KIROBO was down to 4.1V. The voltage required for KIROBO to operate is 5V. To allow a margin, the supply voltage was raised to 7.5V. Voice recognition Acoustic experiment aims to check that KIROBO can communicate with Astronaut Wakata correctly without being affected by the sounds emitted by the apparatus aboard the ISS. When Astronaut Wakata talks to KIROBO his voice is recognized and it answers. However, if the noise inside of the ISS is too loud, KIROBO might respond to those sounds and not Dr. Wakata's voice. Converting Power KIROBO uses a converter unit especially made for KIROBO to convert the electrical voltage of16V supplied from the ISS to 7.5V before using it to move. Overcurrent check experiment This experiment is to check the condition of the cables and other things when a current over the normal amount is applied. This was added as further testing by the request of NASA in order to ensure no cables will burn or be damaged and that there is no bad influence on the environment inside the ISS. In this experiment 4.2V were applied to the cables. The temperature rose, but the cables did not burn or break. Final test The final combination experiment was conducted at JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center over the course of three days. This is the dress rehearsal, so to speak. Everything was meticulously tested one more time before sent up to space. — SG
