Project Hail Mary: Wondered why Erids had space robots but we didn’t?

Andy Weir in Science Robotics argues you wouldn't risk humanity’s survival on a robot built in two years. He's right. Real-world space robotics isn’t ready for a crash 2-3 year development cycle for a desperate interstellar mission.

While the Hail Mary has only medical robots, the Eridians designed dexterous maintenance robots that move along the hull and can be repurposed for anything—even docking with another ship. The subtle message from an author who specializes in technical accuracy? Humans face big barriers integrating robotics innovations.

Why is that? Consider the NASA Technological Readiness Assessment (TRA) that is a systems version of the Technical Readiness Levels (TRL). It classifies robots as Heritage (proven for identical missions), Engineered (minor mods), or New (novel/high risk). During the first year of COVID, 78% of 338 robots deployed internationally were Heritage. Space tech lags in heritage so there is not a base on which to quickly draw upon.

Take NASA Robonaut 2: developed in 3 years (2007-2010) but based on work from 1997. It consistently malfunctioned on the ISS and was returned to Earth. Under TRA, it’s still “New” — a reliable low-risk system might realistically take ~12 years, not 2-3 to become operational.

Project Hail Mary highlights that while space robots have huge potential, we need more proven systems. Advances continue to fill knowledge gaps. Science fiction serves as a great reminder of the exciting adventure robotics offers humanity.

You can read the Science Robotics article behind the paywall here.

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