Google is working with NASA to develop a robotic medical assistant that could help astronauts on future deep-space missions. Chocolate Factory’s public sector VP Jim Kelly said in a Tuesday blog post that the company’s latest moonshot could take its technology far beyond the lunar surface, with Google’s public sector arm partnering with NASA’s Human Research Program, Johnson Space Center’s robotics team, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop a robot that could assist astronauts with medical tasks, cargo handling, and routine maintenance. The robotics project builds on the Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA), an AI-powered medical decision-support system Google has been working on with NASA since last year. CMO-DA, which is powered by the Red Hat-supported open source local AI tool RamaLama, is already being evaluated on Earth-bound copies of computers used aboard the ISS. It’s designed to run AI models locally for evaluation of medical issues, which will be a key part of future space missions due to the communications lag between Earth and astronauts in deep space. “An astronaut on a future deep space mission to Mars could face severe operational challenges—including round-trip communication latencies of up to 44 minutes, making real-time medical guidance for crew nearly impossible,” Kelly said in this week’s blog post. Google and NASA envision the robot as an assistant to a human crew medical officer, helping with medical tasks and doing other work when bedside assistance isn’t required. “To maximize its utility for a lean crew, the robotic system is designed as a versatile ‘payload’ handler capable of managing cargo, logistics, and equipment,” Kelly explained. “When not needed for routine maintenance like organizing tools or securing compartments, it can pivot to medical support.”…