Lockheed Martin showed off Amazon Alexa-enabled “party mode” on the Orion capsule, which is currently making a tour around the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis. Lockheed Martin shared a short video of what it looks like when the moon-traveling capsule triggers its “party mode” inside. The video features a voice saying, “Alexa, party mode.” The voice assistant responds with “Turning on celebration lighting,” which kicks off a multicolored disco-style display inside the capsule. Part of Commander Moonikin Campos, a human-size test mannequin on board, is visible in the video.
Alexa is meant to test new ways for astronauts to stay in touch with folks back on Earth while they travel to the moon and back, a journey that can take weeks. It could also theoretically serve as a way to entertain astronauts as they spend weeks zipping through outer space, and that includes changing up the lights to brighten the mood.
“If you’re not controlling the lights with your Alexa, you’re not even hitting the minimum bar for success,” Lockheed Martin VP Rob Chambers told Bloomberg. But whether an Alexa speaker will add any real value to the missions remains to be seen.
The party mode feature is part of Orion’s Callisto technology demonstration, which includes Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. While Artemis I is uncrewed, future astronauts could use voice commands to add a Star Trek dimension to their flights. That means “party mode” would be just a quick request away should they need to celebrate a milestone, like arriving at the moon.
The party mode feature is part of Orion’s Callisto technology demonstration, which includes Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. While Artemis I is uncrewed, future astronauts could use voice commands to add a Star Trek dimension to their flights. That means “party mode” would be just a quick request away should they need to celebrate a milestone, like arriving at the moon.