In a groundbreaking space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), two autonomous robots—developed separately by German and Japanese space agencies—successfully communicated and worked together for the first time, despite using different computing systems and having no prior coordination.
The experiment, part of a mission named ICHIBAN (meaning “the first” in Japanese), was powered by IBM’s watsonx artificial intelligence platform. This enabled seamless interaction between the robots and human operators across continents.
The two robots involved were:
- CIMON, an astronaut-assist bot developed by Germany’s DLR, Airbus, and IBM. It uses voice and image recognition to support crew tasks.
- Int-Ball2, a camera drone developed by Japan’s space agency JAXA, controlled remotely from Tsukuba to document onboard activities.
The milestone moment occurred in the Japanese ISS module Kibo, when astronaut Takuya Onishi issued a voice command to CIMON. The robot interpreted the command, translated it, and relayed it to Int-Ball2, which then located three items—a Rubik’s Cube, a hammer, and screwdrivers—captured images, and sent them back to CIMON.
This marks the first real-time, cross-agency robot collaboration in space, overcoming hardware and software compatibility barriers. The success was made possible by coordinated updates to CIMON’s communication systems and extensive cooperation between IBM, JAXA, and DLR.
Experts say this achievement could redefine daily operations aboard the ISS, enhancing efficiency in maintenance, documentation, and crew support. Space agencies around the world are already planning similar trials to explore how AI-powered robotics can increase safety and productivity in future missions.
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