The SPACE THEA Project
This addresses the need for emotional and operational support for astronauts in isolated space missions, but it is incremental as it builds on existing voice assistant technology.
The paper tackled the problem of astronaut isolation during a Mars mission by developing an empathetic voice assistant prototype using Google Assistant and Dialogflow Essentials, which was tested in seven scenarios representing daily astronaut life.
In some situations, no professional human contact can be available. Accordingly, one remains alone with one's problems and fears. A manned Mars flight is certainly such a situation. A voice assistant that shows empathy and assists the astronauts could be a solution. In the SPACE THEA project, a prototype with such capabilities was developed using Google Assistant and Dialogflow Essentials. The voice assistant has a personality based on characteristics such as functional intelligence, sincerity, creativity, and emotional intelligence. It proves itself in seven different scenarios designed to represent the daily lives of astronauts, addressing operational crises and human problems. The paper describes the seven scenarios in detail, and lists technical and conceptual foundations of the voice assistant. Finally, the most important results are stated and the chapters are summarized.