Epson, a name synonymous with inkjet printing, has found itself a new market space. Space.

This camera robot on the on the International Space Station uses an Epson inertial measurement unit to help with flight stabilisation and automated docking.

The unit from Epson's M-G370 series was selected by Japan’s JAXA aerospace exploration agency for use on ‘Kibo’, their experiment module on the station.

That’s astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, pictured with Int-Ball2 as it docks at the docking station (Photo JAXA/NASA).

The free-flying camera robot has been undergoing “functional verification” inside Kibo since June last year. Now Epson is to pursue development of IMUs for the so-called “New Space” sector, to be used in things such as small satellites that utilise consumer and industrial products, which require higher levels of cost performance and shorter delivery times.

Int-Ball2 is an onboard drone robot that aims to support astronauts on the ISS. It is operated remotely by ground control and is able to fly around the ISS taking photos and videos. The camera is used to capture images of the astronauts as they conduct various experiments and are shared with the ground control team. Currently, the astronauts working in Kibo have to spend time adjusting the camera settings and angle of view. With the Int-Ball2, the ground control team can directly control the video shooting process remotely. This is expected to significantly reduce the astronaut workload.

Int-Ball2 is designed to automatically depart and return to its docking station for recharging. but in the ISS, it must navigate in a micro-gravity environment.

To do so, it is required to estimate its “3DoF” position (X, Y, Z) and rotational attitude (roll, pitch, and yaw). For the technical, it does that by fusing Visual Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping and IMU data.

Apart from small satellites, potential applications include industrial drones and terrestrial vehicles – such as for ocean bottom exploration – industrial equipment and navigation systems.