The very spectacular missions to maintain and up-grade the Hubble Space Telescope have once again drawn attention to the role and capabilities of robots in space. These missions have clearly demonstrated that robots are best used as a remote extension of human capabilities, rather than a replacement for man.
The biggest ESA contribution to the field of space robotics so far is the European Robot Arm (ERA), which is under development to help assemble and service the International Space Station from 1999 on. Beyond that, this technology has attracted much attention from several member states, spurring them to undertake national developments. ESA has also a dynamic research and development programme, which is harmonised with those of its Member States by the Advisory Group for Automation and Robotics (AGAR), which reports to ESA's Industrial Policy Committee.
The objectives of the harmonised programme were presented to Member States in 1995. Although specific technology issues were addressed, the main concern was the desirability of performing in-flight experiments which would demonstrate to potential users the mature state of the technology. Some experimental investigations are already complete (such as Rotex in Germany) while others will be completed in the near future by ESA (Jerico, Viable) and its Member States (such as the Italian project Spider and the German project ESS).
The papers collected together in this special issue of Preparing for the Future present a sample of the main technological undertakings in Europe and the perspectives which are now open for the use of robotics in the exploration of space. I trust these projects will convince those planning future missions that they can safely rely on European robotics technology for the cost-effective achievement of their goals.
Preparing for the Future Vol. 7 No. 2