Human-like robots need not be limited to the bonds of Earth or even to just
roving other planets.
NASA researchers at Johnson Space Center are working to build an android that could be used to assist human spacewalkers or even replace them altogether. A collaborative effort with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Robonaut project is a potential contender for future Hubble Space Telescope maintenance missions.
With two robotic arms tapering down to a pair of five-digit hands, each with
opposable thumbs, Robonaut is designed to mimic the same requirements that face
human astronauts working in spacesuits.
Sensors run up and down each arm, allowing the robot to touch and feel heat,
as well as sense location and torque. Those sensations are all relayed in real-time
to a central processing unit, a robotic brain that sits within a space-hardened
outer shell. Tests in NASA's weightless simulator plane have shown Robonaut
catching balls in midair.
The robot has no legs. Since it's main mission is flying in space, the ability
to walk may not be too useful, researchers figure.
