Android in Space!

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes | ZD Net | January 12, 2012

Flying robots in space .. all made possible by a Samsung Nexus S.

This isn’t new, but it bubbled up to the surface today so I thought I’d share it with you.
I know a lot of you already think that the Android mobile platform is out of this world, but the geniuses at NASA are taking this a step further and developing ‘helper robots’ powered by the Android OS.

NASA calls these robots SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites), and each volleyball sized can fly around the International Space Station thanks to tiny CO2 thrusters. Attached to each of the robot helpers is a Samsung Nexus S which transforms it into a free-flying ‘Smart SPHERE’ thanks to the smartphone’s low-power computer and cameras...