Please state the nature of the medical emergency: Google is building a robot medic for NASA
The AI medical assistant is still being tested. Now the space boffins want to give it hands
Google is collaborating with NASA to develop a robotic medical assistant for future deep-space missions. The company's public sector VP, Jim Kelly, announced this ambitious project in a blog post, explaining that the robot could assist astronauts with medical tasks, cargo handling, and routine maintenance. This new moonshot, known as the Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA), is a result of Google's partnership with NASA's Human Research Program, Johnson Space Center's robotics team, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The CMO-DA, powered by RamaLama, an AI-powered medical decision-support system, is already being evaluated on Earth-bound ISS computers. According to Kelly, an astronaut on a Mars mission could face significant communication delays, making real-time medical guidance nearly impossible. Therefore, the robotic assistant would serve as a valuable support to human crew medical officers, helping with medical tasks and other duties when human assistance isn't required.
While the project is currently in the proof-of-concept stage, early laboratory tests have shown promising results, with the robotic system achieving an 85% success rate in tasks like locating and moving a medical bag. However, Google has not confirmed whether a fully integrated, space-ready robot has been developed.
Written by urgent.news from The Register Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
