Chinese firm launches WonderJourney satellite with AI-powered ‘brain’
- The satellite’s developer says it has an onboard intelligent processing unit that allows it process data without sending it back to ground control
- The company hopes it could one day be used to monitor environmental conditions or support emergency relief efforts
The WonderJourney-1A, or WJ-1A, which blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Inner Mongolia earlier this month, has an onboard intelligent processing unit known as the String Edge AI Platform.
“String serves as the satellite’s brain, allowing real-time observation and processing. Traditionally, data has to be sent back to a ground control centre for analysis and instructions. But WJ-1A can handle it on the fly,” Chen Junrui, a spokesman for the Hangzhou-based developer STAR.VISION, said.
“WJ-1A is China’s first satellite with artificial intelligence (AI) at its core, featuring a smart operating system, and it will soon be put into operation,” the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer Wang Chunhui told Zhejiang Daily last week.
The name WonderJourney is inspired by the ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, who was the first to define a concept of the “universe”. The company said the choice of name reflected its hope that AI could explore the boundless universe.
Currently the satellite’s main task is system testing, and various intelligent applications will be run and validated, assessing their efficiency in orbit. These applications range from connections with future smart cars and drones to monitoring and evaluating environmental conditions such as forest fire locations, soil moisture and pest disease monitoring.