Artificial Intelligence and space research
From the time memoire human is always imagining and searching for life beyond earth. Earlier there were limited reach and resources, so we assumed and imagined how it should exist on other habitable planet. May be like on earth; or may not be!
In recent decades, I mean since 1960 or 1969, when first living being in orbit of earth and first step on moon, human race has developed and continuously progressing on the means and resources to go beyond earth gravitation and search through the space on look out for life other than our planet earth.
This is both dangerous and requires special physical and psychological trainings for selected persons to go in space and requires more physical than mental requirements. Not only this; we have robots and software driven hardware to perform dangerous maneuvers in zero gravity condition. Earlier same was being done by courageous and adventurous astronauts by coming out of the spacecraft.
I am writing this article to pen down my imagination and thoughts how artificial intelligence can help in the same way as robots are doing in mining, military and other dangerous places.
As we all know that artificial intelligence (AI) works on the past data and when the patterns are converted into algorithms or logic in a similar way as human brain thinks based on experiences.
Some of the areas where AI can help human brain instead of sending and receiving feedbacks and receiving commands i.e. thinking beyond what for it has been programmed or received commands from earth:
- In remote sensing
- Recognizing movements and emissions
- Recognition of patterns in space
- Recognition of chemical elements, gases and solids
- Handling data produce by satellites
- In recognizing space debris
Above all, as an AI and ML researcher, I feel that one of the most significant contribution AI can make in space research is through computer vision (CV). Not only replacing the human eyes but eyes for different spectrum. We have already heard of infra-red and ultra-violet cameras and detectors. CV can be very helpful for space research going beyond visible spectrum to human race. Not just infra red or ultra violet cameras but AI stuffed artificial eyes to help to see and judge universe.
I am working on one such software and would be sharing results of the same very shortly.
