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Spinoff story
Astronaut Experience Inspires Single-Handed Drone Flight Controller
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Scott Parazynski’s astronaut experience helped him create a joystick that controls drone fight with a single hand and will one day, he hopes, revolutionize robotic surgery. Parazynski, who is also a physician, used the expertise he gained at Johnson Space Center and in space to build a more intuitive controller for robotic surgery. While working on FDA approval, he adapted the controller for the growing commercial drone market. His Houston-based company, Fluidity Technologies Inc., launched the FT Aviator in November 2018 and quickly garnered hundreds of pre-orders.