NASA ‘Frees’ Its Robot Astronaut

Robonaut, the mechanical astronaut developed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), no longer is stuck in its fixed location in a JSC lab.

The latest version of the unit, Robonaut B, has human- like hands, television camera eyes, and the option of rolling around on a modified, two-wheeled Segway Transporter, or grappling the International Space Station (ISS) with a "space leg."

The biggest challenge for the new Robonaut was combining its arm and hand functions with its new mobility in a way that a human operator can use.

Tests showed that one human can remotely operate the robot’s mobility and manipulation systems simultaneously. It is also programmed to protect itself from damage in the event that its human controller makes an error, and it can be told to pick up objects without specific motion directions.

Robonaut B’s upper body can attach to a Segway-built robotic mobility platform (RMP) in order to drive on Earth. (NASA/JSC)

Robonaut B’s space leg is an adapter that allows it to plug itself into the same ISS ports that astronauts use for their foot restraints. Using the leg, Robonaut B can move hand-over-hand outside the ISS and use tethers just like its human counterparts.

The next step will be developing a spaceworthy version of Robonaut for flight tests, either aboard the space shuttle or the ISS.

For more information on Robonaut, visit http:// robonaut.nasa.gov.

Copyright Associated Business Publications Oct 2004