Cute Japanese Drone sends back photos from space

Japan is all about cute, but this has taken cuteness to the next level. It’s now scientifically proven.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) created the JEM Internal Ball Camera (“Int-Ball”) that is made with 3-D printed parts and 12 directional fans.

Int-Ball was sent to the International Space Station on June 4, 2017, and the very first images and videos taken by the most adorable floating camera on board have just arrived.

Int-Ball’s role is not just to be a cute companion, but it offloads 10% of the astronauts’ workloads by taking pictures and videos. The astronauts used to do all that on their own.

This allows them to focus on important tasks and research that needs to be done in space. According to JAXA, Int-Ball became active after years of development. The Int-Ball can record whatever it sees from any angles.

JAXS Tsukuba Space Center can remotely control Int-Ball or it is capable of autonomous flight.