NASA to Launch Human-Like Robot to Join Space Station Crew
WASHINGTON -- NASA will launch the first human-like robot to space
later this year to become a permanent resident of the International
Space Station. Robonaut 2, or R2, was developed jointly by NASA and
General Motors under a cooperative agreement to develop a robotic
assistant that can work alongside humans, whether they are astronauts
in space or workers at GM manufacturing plants on Earth.
The 300-pound R2 consists of a head and a torso with two arms and two
hands. R2 will launch on space shuttle Discovery as part of the
STS-133 mission planned for September. Once aboard the station,
engineers will monitor how the robot operates in weightlessness.
Throughout its first decade in orbit, the space station has served as
a test bed for human and robotic teamwork for construction,
maintenance and science.
R2 will be confined to operations in the station's Destiny laboratory.
However, future enhancements and modifications may allow it to move
more freely around the station's interior or outside the complex.
"This project exemplifies the promise that a future generation of
robots can have both in space and on Earth, not as replacements for
humans but as companions that can carry out key supporting roles,"
said John Olson, director of NASA's Exploration Systems Integration
Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The combined potential of
humans and robots is a perfect example of the sum equaling more than
the parts. It will allow us to go farther and achieve more than we
can probably even imagine today."
The dexterous robot not only looks like a human but also is designed
to work like one. With human-like hands and arms, R2 is able to use
the same tools station crew members use. In the future, the greatest
benefits of humanoid robots in space may be as assistants or stand-in
for astronauts during spacewalks or for tasks too difficult or
dangerous for humans. For now, R2 is still a prototype and does not
have adequate protection needed to exist outside the space station in
the extreme temperatures of space.
Testing the robot inside the station will provide an important
intermediate environment. R2 will be tested in microgravity and
subjected to the station's radiation and electromagnetic interference
environments. The interior operations will provide performance data
about how a robot may work side-by-side with astronauts. As
development activities progress on the ground, station crews may be
provided hardware and software to update R2 to enable it to do new
tasks.
R2 is undergoing extensive testing in preparation for its flight.
Vibration, vacuum and radiation testing along with other procedures
being conducted on R2 also benefit the team at GM. The automaker
plans to use technologies from R2 in future advanced vehicle safety
systems and manufacturing plant applications.
"The extreme levels of testing R2 has undergone as it prepares to
venture to the International Space Station are on par with the
validation our vehicles and components go through on the path to
production," said Alan Taub, vice president of GM's global research
and development. "The work done by GM and NASA engineers also will
help us validate manufacturing technologies that will improve the
health and safety of our GM team members at our manufacturing plants
throughout the world. Partnerships between organizations such as GM
and NASA help ensure space exploration, road travel and manufacturing
can become even safer in the future."
For more information about Robonaut 2, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/
For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
Source: NASA
