All You Need To Know About Vyommitra, ISRO's Female Humanoid

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently developed a half humanoid, which will be sent to the space under the spaceflight program Gaganyaan. This humanoid is in the form of a woman who has been named Vyommitra. The ISRO plans to send Vyommitra to space before sending the selected astronauts in the year 2022.

Key Takeaways

• Vyommitra is a humanoid developed by ISRO who is designed to perform multiple tasks.
• She is specialized in performing both technical and mental tasks. Her basic role is to monitor the spaceflight journey for safety purposes.
• Some of her functions include receiving and following the commands sent from ground stations.
• Vyommitra can speak two languages and give the astronauts mental support when they experience stress and also provide them with tips on various aspects relating to the spacecraft.

What Are Humanoids?

A humanoid is a robot in the appearance of a human being. The reason behind ISRO’s humanoid being called a half-humanoid is because she has a head, two hands, and a torso. However, she does not have lower limbs as per a report by The Indian Express.

The basic functions of a humanoid are determined by the computer systems to which it is connected. The use of AI is getting more frequent day by day. Daily examples of AI can be derived from voice operating systems found in our smartphones and laptops. The functions of artificial intelligence systems such as Siri, Alexa, and Cortana are  extended in a humanoid.

.@ISRO planning to send a multitasking humanoid #Vyommitra as part of the 1st unmanned space flight #Gaganyaan before sending humans in 2022 reflects the rigor of deeper safety measures that #ISRO is dry-running to ensure a successful manned space flight.https://t.co/A4GfV4TvlG

— Dr.Omkar Rai (@Omkar_Raii) January 23, 2020

About Vyommitra

ISRO’s Vyommitra’s name is derived from Sanskrit. In Sanskrit ‘Vyoma’ means space and ‘Mitra’ means friend.  She is a female humanoid developed by ISRO with a human-like appearance.  Her job is to simulate the human functions required for space. "It will simulate the exact human functions in space; it will check whether the systems are right. This will be very useful to simulate as if a human is flying," said ISRO chief K Sivan.

The Tasks Vyommitra Is Expected To Perform

Vyommitra's first task is to test the ground for human spaceflight. Second, once fully developed she will be able to use equipment in the flight for safety purposes. Third, of her tasks would be to receive and follow the commands sent from ground stations. Additionally, her list functions also include adjusting to the environment, generating warnings when required, replacing carbon dioxide canisters, operating switches, monitoring of the crew module and responding to commands via bilingual speech. In order to be more human-like, her lip movement will be synchronized to mimic speech.

Read Also: Meet Vyommitra, The Humanoid That ISRO Will Send To Space

Vyommitra As An Artificial Human Buddy

Apart from performing technical tasks, Vyommitra’s job is to provide mental support to the astronauts. The humanoid can act as an artificial buddy to the astronaut and provide them tips on various aspects like the health of the spacecraft during the launch, landing and orbital phases.

Ultimately, Vyommitra would also return to Earth to report on the changes occurring in the crew module during the spaceflight and return. These changes can include heat radiation levels which would enable ISRO to understand the safety levels required in the crew module to eventually fly out human beings.

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Gaurika Taneja is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv