Tom Keane Microsoft at the International Space Station
Tom Keane is a global technology evangelist for Microsoft Azure and has worked in the technology industry for over 20 years. He is a recognized expert in cloud computing, integration, agile development, architecture & development management and AI, among many other areas.
Tom Keane´s Achievements
- Testing AI for Astronaut Safety
Microsoft has been involved with space exploration for more than two decades as leader Tom Keane recalls. One of the company’s most recent projects is the outstanding Project Sidekick, which was designed to bring a companion robot to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew aboard the ISS would use the DEXTRE robot to perform tasks too dangerous or complex for humans. The robot was equipped with advanced sensors and cameras that sent data about its environment and activities that were then analyzed by artificial intelligence systems developed using Microsoft Azure.
- On-orbit partnerships for space
One of the most significant partnerships for Project Sidekick was with NanoRacks, a company that provides hardware and services for the ISS. Tom Keane explains that NanoRacks provided hardware for the project, such as a power supply, docking station and data connection cables designed to work in space. This allowed for a seamless transition between testing conditions on Earth and operating in the harsh space environment.
Microsoft developed tools and services to enable this transition, letting researchers use their PCs to work robots remotely in different physical environments. The robots would be controlled with game controllers connected with DEXTRE through networks established by NanoRacks’ hardware on the ISS. Tom Keane shares more information on this topic through his blogs, speeches and conferences.
- Analytics for spaceborne data using Azure Orbital Hub
Microsoft Corporation Azure Orbital Hub is a new type of data center that combines computing, storage and networking functions from different locations worldwide to provide clients with an on-demand computing service. According to Tom Keane, this allows organizations to take advantage of global computing capabilities in a new way, using hubs located around the globe with access to resources locally. The hub serves as a bridge between these locations, providing services such as caching, content delivery and analytics all over the globe.
Tom Keane gives his vision on how Microsoft empowers space development off the planet with Azure. He believes that spaceships and lunar bases will eventually be able to access this global approach to computing. Human beings will also be able to use it by putting on virtual reality headsets, telepresence robots or smart glasses that provide them with work or entertainment data while they are away from the places where they usually connect to the internet.
Tom Keane is a global technology evangelist for Microsoft Azure and has worked in the technology industry for over 20 years. He is a recognized expert in cloud computing, integration, agile development, architecture & development management and AI, among many other areas. Tom Keane´s Achievements Testing AI for Astronaut Safety Microsoft has been involved…