Digital Voice Assistant

Digital Voice Assistant demonstrates a digital voice assistant to support crew operations on the International Space Station. Results could help support the development of a robust voice-based assistant to perform a variety of functions on the planned Axiom space station.

The Digital Voice Assistant (DVA) is a device planned for evaluation through the Digital Voice Assistant investigation performed on the second and third private astronaut missions (PAMs) conducted by Axiom Space, Inc. This evaluation is carried out in support of a vision for a smart spacecraft ecosystem that includes a voice assistant for performing a variety of functions.

During the investigation, the device connects over Wi-Fi to the JSL or joint station local area network (LAN) and then downlinks via a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) and the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) to its virtual private cloud (VPC) service. Time and location are constrained to eliminate crew privacy and awareness concerns. The device is powered on prior to demo and powered off immediately upon conclusion of demonstration; device is powered off when not in use.

Image: Ax-3 Commander Michael-López Alegría conducts a technology demonstration with an Amazon Echo device on the International Space Station. [Photo courtesy of: Walter Villadei, Ax-3 pilot]