Two NASA SBIR Autonomous Robotic Systems Contracts Awarded to PickNik Robotics

NASA has awarded PickNik Robotics two Small Business Innovation Research contracts focused on advancing autonomous robotic systems. Under the first SBIR award, the company will develop software that can detect and report issues with autonomous robotic systems NASA uses to maintain spaceflight hardware. 

The tool will enable operators to resolve system failures remotely in real time, allowing the robot to recover and complete its tasks. The project, titled “A Framework for Failure Management and Recovery for Remote Autonomous Task Planning and Execution”, aims to enhance the robotic capabilities of NASA to support the Artemis mission and other space programs, PickNik Robotics said.

Work under the second SBIR award, meanwhile, involves integrating task and motion planning into PickNik’s MoveIt Studio to improve the autonomy capabilities of in-orbit robotic systems. According to PickNik, the effort will allow an autonomous system to generate and execute action sequences to meet high-level task specifications set by operators. One of the project’s goals is to reduce the cognitive load on remote operators.

According to PickNik CEO Dave Coleman, work under the SBIR contracts will pave the way for the solutions to be used in commercial applications.