First human-like robot in space in December

NASA has unveiled plans to put a robot on the moon for a fraction of the cost of sending a human.

by Chamari SENANAYAKE

The driving force behind the project was Stephen J. Altemus, the chief engineer at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston.

Robonaut 2 being tested at NASA

Faced with shrinking budgets, and lack of enthusiasm for lunar projects, they wanted something that could be achieved quickly without getting bogged down in red tape.

When he shared his idea with colleagues it was received with much enthusiasm and they have not looked back since then.

The team found that sending a robot to the Moon is far easier than sending a person as it does not need air or food and there is no return trip.

Robonaut 2 (R2), developed by NASA and General Motors, will be on board the shuttle Discovery, which is due to take off in December.

The project has also been helped by building on existing technology and modifying it rather than starting afresh.

This will be the first humanoid robot in space and will deal with the housekeeping chores so the astronauts can focus on their work.

But its primary job will be teaching engineers how dexterous robots behave in space. R2 resembles the torso, arms, hands and head of a human.

Scientists fine-tuned the robot for about three years to improve the dexterity of its hands and fingers.

The robot’s movements aren’t as precise as a human’s, but it is significantly better than any other machine, say the scientists.

Robonaut 2, the first human-like robot going to space now and soon to the Moon

A Robonaut is a dexterous humanoid robot built and designed at NASA Johnson Space Centre, in Houston, Texas.

Their plan was to build machines that can help humans work and explore in space. Either working side by side with humans or going for tasks where the risks are too great for people.

Robonaut 2 is more advanced and faster than Robonaut 1 and will launch to the International Space Station on space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-133 mission.

Then it will become the first dexterous humanoid robot in space.

Almost 200 people from 15 countries have so far visited the International Space Station but until now it only had human crew members.

Within 1000 days they are planning to create one to be sent off to the Moon on a one way flight.

However, there are no plans to return R2 to Earth, so it seems once Discovery takes off, it would forever be gone to space.