Robotic hands are the next frontier in astronaut safety

Drifting silently in the cramped quarters of a spacecraft millions of miles from Earth, an astronaut clutches their side, wincing at a sudden, unfamiliar pain. There’s no doctor onboard, no emergency room to rush to — only isolation and the ticking clock of a medical crisis in space. Scenarios like this are exactly what Eric Du, Ph.D., and his team are working to address.

While space research often brings up images of distant worlds and cosmic phenomena, Du is focused on a more immediate challenge: safeguarding astronaut health. As NASA and other space agencies prepare for extended missions to the moon and Mars, the ability to diagnose and treat medical issues remotely, including procedures like ultrasounds, is no longer a distant ideal, but a vital necessity for life beyond Earth.

Du’s research, supported by NASA, is focused on making sure they don’t have to wait that long to act.

Du, a professor in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and a member of the Astraeus Space Institute at the University of Florida, is developing new ways for astronauts to control robotic hands — even when communication delays make real-time operation impossible. His work was recently featured in a BBC Future article examining why robotic hands remain one of the biggest technical hurdles in robotics.

“Human hands are incredibly sensitive and flexible,” Du told the BBC. “Replicating that ability in machines, and then allowing humans to intuitively control them under delay, is a huge challenge.”

To address it, Du and his team are combining embodied artificial intelligence — systems that learn motor skills by physically interacting with the environment — with sensory manipulation techniques like haptic feedback. By enabling both AI systems and human operators to 'feel' what the robot hand is touching through vibrations or pressure cues, this approach effectively mimics the sense of touch that is critical for delicate tasks like medical procedures. It also provides a more intuitive control interface for human operators, especially in situations where visual or auditory feedback may be delayed or disrupted.

The goal is not only to improve task performance but also to reduce the cognitive burden on the human operator. In space, where stress levels are already high and errors can be costly, intuitive robotic systems could make a life-saving difference.

This research is helping lay the groundwork for the future of space medicine, a field that is rapidly gaining importance. If astronauts are going to spend months or years in deep space, they’ll need tools to conduct medical diagnostics and procedures independently. Du’s work suggests that procedures like ultrasounds could one day be safely performed by astronauts using robotic systems, guided from Earth or aided by onboard AI.

These innovations also have potential applications on Earth, from rural telemedicine to emergency response in hazardous environments. By improving the way humans and robots interact under delay, Du’s work is expanding access to care — no matter where the patient is located.

“We’re not just building machines,” Du said. “We’re building tools that extend human ability, in space and on Earth.”

Du’s work is part of a broader initiative at UF to develop space-ready technologies with real-world impact. The Astraeus Space Institute brings together faculty across disciplines to solve the practical challenges of human spaceflight, from robotics and AI to life sciences and policy.

“Over the next 5 to 10 years, I envision our technology becoming a game-changer for astronauts, beginning with training. Robotic hands will first serve as a training tool, allowing astronauts to practice medical procedures in simulated space conditions, such as microgravity or delayed communication, so they can handle real emergencies with confidence,” Du said. “Looking ahead, robotic hands capable of performing precise medical tasks will empower astronauts to maintain their health autonomously, reducing risks and making extended stays on Mars or lunar bases more viable.”

As humans prepare to go farther than ever before, Du’s research ensures we won’t have to leave our ability to care for each other behind.