Astronaut Mike Hopkins working Robonaut2

Astronaut Mike Hopkins working with robonaut. He is controlling the robot by having him follow my motions.

NASA Robonaut-2: Man and Machine

While Robonaut 2 has been busy testing its technology in microgravity aboard the International Space Station, NASA and General Motors have been working together on the ground to find new ways those technologies can be used.

The two groups began working together in 2007 on Robonaut 2, or R2, which in 2011 became the first humanoid robot in space.

NASA and GM now are developing a robotic glove that auto workers and astronauts can wear to perform their respective jobs, while reducing the risk of repetitive stress injuries.

Officially, it’s called the Human Grasp Assist device, but generally it’s called the K-Glove or Robo-Glove.

In this image, Robonaut and a spacesuit-gloved hand are extended toward each other to demonstrate the collaboration between robots and humans in space.

Image Credit: NASA

NASA Robonaut2: Fisheye Image

Fisheye image the NASA ISS crew captured of Robonaut2 while it was using sign language to say "Hello World".

NASA ISS: Robonaut 2 Speaks Sign Language - Video

Robonaut 2 goes through a series of dexterity tests as it spells out “Hello world” in sign language while Flight Engineer Don Pettit looks on.

Symbolic Handshake between Astronaut and Robonaut-2

ESA 7th ISS crew member is activated. Robonaut-2 is out of hibernation.

Credit: ESA/NASA

Robonaut 2 (R2) successfully passes first test on ISS

The first human-like robot and permanent resident of the International Space Station, Robonaut 2 or R2, has successfully passed its first test, the official Robonaut`s microblog reported on Tuesday.

Robonaut developed jointly by NASA and General Motors was launched on the space shuttle Discovery on February 26. Astronauts Paolo Nespoli and Catherine Coleman unpacked the robot, checked the systems and packed it back in March.

NASA astronaut Mike Fossum switched on Robonaut, which got its first commands from Earth, and was able to open its eyes - cameras. The first view through the robot's eyes was a complicated panel of cables, dials and instruments. Robonaut will make its first movement on September 1.

"Sure wish I could move my head and look around," Robonaut 2 posted in his Twitter. The robot will not actually move until the beginning of September, as its creators continue running tests.

The 140-kg R2 consists of a head and a torso with two super-dexterous arms and two hands. The Robonaut construction cost about $2.5 million. Engineers plan to monitor how the robot operates in weightlessness and whether it can do routine or dangerous jobs.

Robonaut 2's twin remained behind on Earth.

In 2007, General Motors offered new resources and entered into cooperation with NASA through a Space Act Agreement. The team members want to know whether humans and robots can work safely together in close quarters; whether it is aboard a spacecraft or within a production facility.

NASA ISS: Astro-Robonaut2 and Commander Kelly

For a moment the ISS crew had 2 macho men including @AstroRobonaut on board the ISS. @StationCDRKelly is now safely back on Earth!

A prelaunch picture of STS-133 crew with Robonaut 2

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A prelaunch crew pic with robonaut

ESA Robonaut-2 still in ot's box - No risk to the crew

Robonaut in its crate gets moved from PMM to the Lab. We’ll unpack it later, unless it takes over the ISS earlier!

NASA ISS Robonaut2: Stowed until May 2011

Robonaut 2, better known as R2, will have to wait until May before being unpacked and tested as a potential astronaut helper.

The space station residents are swamped with other chores during this week's visit by Discovery, and Endeavour will be along in April, meaning the robot will stay put for a couple more months.


"So far, space is great ? but I suspect it will be even better once I'm out of my box!" R2 said in a Twitter update.

The world's first humanoid in space cannot speak and certainly can't write or post tweets. Human colleagues on the ground are taking care of the Twitter end of things, however, attracting a following of more than 30,000 to @AstroRobonaut, the robot's Twitter name.

Picture:  NASA

Space Shuttle Discovery is Prepared for Launch

The space shuttle Discovery is seen shortly after the Rotating Service Structure was rolled back at launch pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2011.

Discovery, on its 39th and final flight, will carry the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) and Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space to the International Space Station.

Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JAXA: Sending Twitter Humanoid Bot to ISS 2013

Robonaut2 NASA
 

When the humanoid Robonaut takes off for the ISS next week aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, his days as the sole humanoid in orbit may already be numbered. JAXA, the Japanese space agency, has announced that it plans to send its own humanoid ‘bot to the ISS in 2013.

In proper Japanese style, their robot won’t just be aimed at maintenance tasks and other menial jobs; JAXA envisions their humanoid being a companion to the astronauts aboard the ISS, conversing with them, watching over the mission while the flesh-and-blood astronauts sleep, and helping them remain healthy.


It will also phone home via Twitter, and not in the slightly puppetlike way that R-2 does. NASA’s Robonaut tweets, but it generally just regurgitates messages given to it by NASA spokespeople. JAXA wants its robot to carry on an original and genuine dialog with its adoring fans back on Earth.

JAXA also envisions its robot being more human-like than R-2. Its ‘bot will be part of a larger effort in Japan to create robots capable of assisting that country’s aging population. As such, JAXA wants it to exhibit facial expressions, communicate effectively, and otherwise become a friend and colleague to the astronauts aboard the ISS.

Cue the comparisons to HAL 9000, or even Kevin Spacey’s smiley moon base ‘bot in Moon. But given the hostile environment that begins not so very far above our heads, having robots that can do some of the heavy lifting in space is more or less key to expanding our presence in orbit and beyond. If robots are smart enough to beat us at Jeopardy, there’s really no reason they shouldn’t be helping us conduct our scientific missions in space.

Star Wars Meets UPS As Robonaut Packed For Space

Getting into space isn't necessarily easy for astronauts, and it's not much easier for a robotic astronaut, either.

Cocooned inside an aluminum frame and foam blocks cut out to its shape, Robonaut 2, or R2, is heading to the International Space Station inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay as part of the STS-133 mission.

Once in place inside the station, R2, with its humanlike hands and arms and stereo vision, is expected to perform some of the repetitive or more mundane functions inside the orbiting laboratory to free astronauts for more complicated tasks and experiments. It could one day also go along on spacewalks.



Making sure the first humanoid robot to head into space still works when it gets there has been the focus of workers at NASA's Kennedy and Johnson space centers. Engineers and technicians with decades of experience among them packing for space have spent the last few months devising a plan to secure the 330-pound machine against the fierce vibrations and intense gravity forces during launch.

"I think back in May we realized we had a huge challenge on our hands," said Michael Haddock, a mechanical engineer designing the procedures and other aspects of preparing R2 for launch, including careful crane operations inside the Space Station Processing Facility's high bay.

Though it was fast-paced, intense work, the payoff of getting to help R2 into space added extra motivation for the engineers involved.

By spaceflight standards, planning for the packing effort moved quite quickly, particularly considering R2 is perhaps the heaviest payload to be taken into space inside a cargo module.

"The mass is what's driving the crane operations, otherwise we'd be handling the robot by hand," Haddock said. "But the robot itself weighs on the order of 333 pounds and when it is installed in the structural launch enclosure, it will weigh over 500 pounds."

As they must when loading anything for spaceflight, the engineers designed the packaging so astronauts could easily remove R2 from its launch box, known by its acronym SLEEPR or Structural Launch Enclosure to Effectively Protect Robonaut.

NASA Robonaut2, the Next Generation Dexterous Robot

Robonaut2, the Next Generation Dexterous Robot

JSC2010-E-017534 (11 Jan. 2010) --- Robonaut2 surpasses previous dexterous humanoid robots in strength, yet it is safe enough to work side-by-side with humans.

It is able to lift, not just hold, this 20-pound weight (about four times heavier than what other dexterous robots can handle) both near and away from its body.

More images available on the NASA Technology site here