Icarus Robotics targets space

Icarus Robotics has secured $6.1 million in funding to develop embodied AI robots for space logistics. The company aims to automate tasks currently performed by astronauts, such as managing inventory and moving equipment. Icarus has agreements with Voyager Space for deployment on the International Space Station (ISS) and future operations on Starlab.

The robots utilise visual language action models, enabling them to translate commands into robotic movements. This technology allows for intuitive human-robot interaction. Icarus is developing a soft manipulator with multiple degrees of actuation and centimetre precision.

The funding will support the development and deployment of these robotic solutions, with the goal of industrialising low Earth orbit. Icarus believes that robots with spatial intelligence can perform complex tasks in warehouses, manufacturing, and eventually, households or even on Mars.