Humanoid Robots Designed by NASA for Space Missions
The
best trained astronaut to prepare for the next space mission is
capable of working with a broad range of tools, is more flexible
than a professional gymnast and has only one leg. We are not talking
about a contestant to the Special Olympics; we are talking about a
Robonaut, a humanoid robot NASA is relying on for the future space
missions.
The telerobots will be remote
controlled from Earth or from space stations, and will be send in
areas with a high of risk for human astronauts.
The robots in question will
“star” in the missions NASA will organize in the remote areas of the
solar systems, with high level of risk, which will become accessible
over the following years.
Tendril is another star from
the Robots’ Space Odyssey, and we are dealing with a robotized cable
with a thickness of 1 cm, which can fit into tight spaces and take
photos.
NASA has already a lot of
robots on Mars, the majority of them being rover type robots that
are able to overcome difficult obstacles specific to the Red Planet.
Over the next decades, the American government is planning to
establish veritable colonies on Mars (remember Total Recall?) and to
build launching sites for spaceships, so the robots are crucial for
these operations.