NASA News: Space Agency Sends Humanoid Robots to Universities to Assist in Mars Mission
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has sent humanoid robots to two universities to prepare them for assisting in the journey to Mars and other manned missions.
NASA wants to use humanoid robots as replacement for astronauts in extreme space environments. For this reason, they sent a robot prototype to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts to be trained in the program Robust Autonomy for Extreme Space Environments. Another robot was sent to the Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts for the program Accessible Testing on Humanoid-Robot-R5 and Evaluation of NASA Administered (ATHENA) Space Robotics Challenge, according to NASA.
The NASA R5 "Valkyrie" robot, which was originally designed for disaster-relief missions, measures 6 feet (1.9 meters) in height and weighs 290 pounds (125 kilograms). Unfortunately, it failed in its original purpose and ranked at the bottom. But the prototype could be studied further to help develop robotic astronauts that could be sent to missions before human astronauts arrive. They could also function as assistant to human crew in space, Gizmag reports.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Advances in robotics, including human-robotic collaboration, are critical to developing the capabilities required for our journey to Mars," NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) associate administrator Steve Jurczyk said.
Jurczyk added that his team is excited to collaborate with MIT and the Northeaster Univeristy to help NASA achieve its objective in the development of robotics technology, the report adds.
Under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge, the two universities will receive $250,000 over two years and will be granted access to onsite and virtual technical support from NASA. The whole research program will be funded by STMD's Game Changing Development Program, the report relays.
As part of NASA's Space Robotics Challenge, the R5 will be upgraded and compete in robotic simulations. The aim is to come up with better software that researchers can use for more autonomous humanoid space robots.
