Stars
NASA’s New Generation
By Eric Addison
Photos courtesy of NASA
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Robonaut 2, R2, developed by NASA and General Motors Corporation, will be the first dexterous humanoid robot in space and the first U.S.-built robot at the International Space Station
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When the Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center later this year on mission number STS-133, it’s a good bet that one member of the seven-person crew will be grabbing most of the attention. The masked astronaut named after a Hollywood star, soon to fill up your screen with a superhero outfit, is Robonaut 2 — R2 — a human-like (“humanoid”) robot developed by NASA and General Motors Corporation.
R2 is designed to work alongside astronauts on the International Space Station, using the same tools that the humans do. The space station will be the robot’s permanent home.
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Robonauts are designed to work alongside astronauts and use the same tools that the humans do.
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Right now, R2 consists of a head and torso with two arms and two dexterous hands that work almost as well as human hands. Its neck is designed so it can look up, down, right or left. Although it looks very human, the robot’s “anatomy” is very different. Its head holds its vision equipment — five cameras — but not its brain. R2 does its thinking in its belly, where its computer processors are located.
Making humanoid robots and using them in space is not a new idea. Engineers and scientists at NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense developed the first Robonaut 10 years ago. NASA says the skill it has gained since then in building robotic technologies “will help NASA launch a bold new era of space exploration.”
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