NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

Optical Control over Monomeric and Multimeric Protein Hybrids

Living materials are based on proteins that adapt and change in structure and function continuously when in use; cellular microtubules, ATP synthases and ribosomes are but a few examples. Breathing life into semi-synthetic materials would allow improved understanding over protein regulation and dynamics, and how their integration into complex systems can lead to emergent functions across length scales. The focus of my research is to achieve optical control over functional proteins by connecting them to artificial molecular switches, with the aim to amplify molecular switching events across length scales and gain understanding over cooperative and systematic regulations of proteins. We choose light because it offers spatiotemporal selectivity, is compatible with a wide range of phases and relatively non-destructive towards protein systems. Interfering with mechanisms such as allosteric communication or hierarchical self-assembly not only paves the way towards an improved understanding of cooperative or collective effects in living matter, but it is also associated with the generation of new classes of smart bio-hybrids. The works presented in this thesis involve diverse functional proteins, ranging from an allosteric transport protein, the human serum albumin (Chapter 3), to proteins forming cages (Chapter 4, 5, 6) all the way to chaperone proteins that are known to assist cellular protein folding (Chapter 6). Overall, we have developed photo-responsive protein-based hybrids in which dynamic regulations such as allostery and self-assembly are prominent to protein functionality. Via incorporation of photo-switches, optical control has been demonstrated across length scales, from a monomeric structure to highly defined multimeric architectures made of proteins. The presented research provides a means to interfere with dynamic regulations of proteins and supports strategies towards the development of biocompatible and smart materials

Synthetic biology approaches for engineered living materials

Nature produces materials with remarkable properties. Starting from single cells, organisms can proliferate and direct the conversion and accumulation of simple raw materials to form large structures. Following pre-programmed genetic rules, the cells that orchestrate the synthesis of these materials exert an incredible degree of control over the morphology of the structures they form. Over the course of evolution, natural biological materials have acquired a staggering range of properties – from electrical conductivity to strong underwater adhesion to thermoplasticity. Lastly, natural biological materials are not inert. The cells that produce these materials and remain associated with them are able to sense and respond to changes in their environment. However, in their natural form, the utility of these materials for applications in human industry and society is limited. Might it be possible to genetically-program living cells to create entirely new and useful biological materials? The emerging field of engineered living materials (ELMs) aims to address this question by recreating and engineering the natural processes of biological material assembly. Here we explore two distinct strategies for the development of genetically-programmable biological ELMs. Firstly, motivated by a desire to create a modular platform for de novo ELM assembly, we developed a strategy enabling extracellular conjugation of proteins secreted by the Gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis. We demonstrate the utility of this system, not only for ELM development, but more generally for the synthetic biology and biotechnology research communities. Secondly, we developed a novel co-culture approach to produce growable bacterial cellulose (BC) materials with genetically-programmed functional properties. Specifically, inspired by the pseudo-natural microbial community of fermented kombucha tea, we recreated kombucha-like co-cultures between an engineerable BC-producing bacterium Komagataeibacter rhaeticus and the model organism and synthetic biology host Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These approaches therefore lay the groundwork for the development of an entirely new class of materials, ELMs.Open Acces