NASA's Robot Astronaut

With the Obama administration axing a proposed manned space flight back to the moon, this could be just the right time for a robot that’s also an astronaut. Far fetched? Check out what NASA and General Motors just created.

Together, they are working to accelerate development of the next generation of robots that have applications both for space flight and for building cars. Engineers and scientists at GM and NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have built a “robonaut” called Robonaut 2, or R2. It is intended to be a faster, more dexterous and more technologically advanced robot than before. As you can see from the photo, it was not only made decidedly human in appearance, it’s pretty darned buff. Why?:

“For GM, this is about safer cars and safer plants,” said Alan Taub, GM’s vice president for global research and development. “When it comes to future vehicles, the advancements in controls, sensors and vision technology can be used to develop advanced vehicle safety systems.”

General Motors was involved in the space program in the 1960s. It says it built navigation systems for the Apollo missions and helped develop the Lunar Rover.

“Our challenge today is to build machines that can help humans work and explore in space,” said Mike Coats, Johnson’s center director. “Working side by side with humans, or going where the risks are too great for people, machines like Robonaut will expand our capability for construction and discovery.”

Full article here

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