Video: NASA's cute cube robot flies autonomously for first time on ISS

Stanford researchers have successfully demonstrated the first AI-based autonomous flight of Astrobee, a cube-shaped, fan-powered robot aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Astrobee is designed to navigate the ISS’s confined, equipment-filled corridors to perform tasks such as leak detection and supply delivery, potentially reducing astronauts’ workload. The team developed a novel route-planning system using sequential convex programming combined with machine learning, which enables the robot to generate safe and efficient trajectories more quickly by leveraging patterns learned from thousands of previous path solutions. This AI-assisted control marks a significant advancement in space robotics, where limited onboard computing resources and stringent safety requirements have traditionally constrained autonomy. During the ISS experiment, the AI system operated autonomously for four hours with minimal astronaut intervention, under remote supervision. The researchers compared conventional “cold start” planning with the new AI-assisted “warm start” approach, finding that the latter reduced trajectory planning time by 50–60%, especially in complex, cluttered environments. Multiple safety measures ensured