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Source- This post on ISRO’s Design of the Humanoid Skull for Gaganyaan has been created based on the article “How ISRO designed humanoid skull which will be used in Gaganyaan” published in “Indian Express” on 28th August 2024.
Why in News?
ISRO’s uncrewed Gaganyaan mission in 2025 will feature a female half-humanoid named Vyomitra. Vyomitra’s skull design was finalized recently by ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
What Are Humanoids?
1. Humanoids or half-humanoids are robotic systems designed to resemble human form and function autonomously.
2. Vyomitra is equipped with movable arms, a torso, a face, and a neck.
3. Such robots assist astronauts by performing repetitive or hazardous tasks in space, such as cleaning solar panels or repairing external spacecraft equipment.
4. Purpose of Sending a Humanoid to Space:
i) The 2025 mission aims to demonstrate Vyomitra’s technology.
ii) The humanoid will perform operations at the crew console, monitor systems inside the crew module, and communicate with mission control on Earth.
iii) This mission will help evaluate the robot’s performance and assess the impacts of space travel on human beings, in preparation for India’s first crewed mission later in 2025.
Design Features of Vyomitra’s Skull
| Features | Description |
| Material Selection | 1. The skull is made from an aluminium alloy, AlSi10Mg, chosen for its high flexibility, lightweight nature, heat resistance, and mechanical strength. 2. AlSi10Mg is commonly used in automotive engines and aerospace components due to these properties. |
| Structural Strength | 1. The skull is designed to withstand extreme vibrational loads experienced during rocket launches. 2. The alloy provides a yield strength of over 220 MegaPascals, indicating the maximum stress it can endure before permanent deformation. |
| Dimensions and Weight | 1. The humanoid skull has a compact design with dimensions of 200mm x 200mm. 2. It is lightweight, weighing only 800 grams, making it suitable for space missions where payload weight is crucial. |
| Additive Manufacturing Technique | 1. The skull was created using Additive Manufacturing (AM). It is a technique that allows for the easy integration of lattice structures. 2. AM is similar to 3D printing which builds objects layer by layer. It significantly reduces the overall weight of the final product compared to conventional manufacturing methods. |
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