robonaut

The X1 Robotic Exoskeleton looks like a cross between the legs of a Stormtrooper and a Transformer. The suit is a spinoff from NASA's Robonaut 2 humanoid robot project.

The X1 is focused on either helping or hindering a person's legs, depending on its job description. When it's set to inhibit, the X1 resists movement and could be used to help astronauts exercise in space. When it's set to help, it could be used to assist paraplegics and others with lower body injuries with walking.

Four motorized joints and six passive joints give the 57-pound suit a good range of motion. It also gives it some nice Iron Man flavor, minus the propulsion feet.… Read more

Is this the beginning of end? Or perhaps the end of the beginning? Or could it be merely a handshake that presages the ultimate fighting contest between humans and robots?

In case you were far too buried in attempting to pirate the new Nazis-in-space movie, may I tell you that today an astronaut shook a robot's hand in space for the first time.

The astronaut in question is International Space Station Commander Daniel Burbank, last seen (at least by me) on a recent episode of "American Idol." So he knows something about otherworldly experiences.

Yet here he … Read more

Robotkind got NASA to send one of their own into space today--an unassuming humanoid "robot butler" that will be in the perfect spot to destroy Earth from orbit.

Sporting a terrifying mask, touting dumbbells, and tipping the scales at 330 pounds, Robonaut 2 has convinced just about everyone that despite its appearance it's not evil incarnate.

Before the macho droid lifted off in the Space Shuttle Discovery on the orbiter's final mission today at 1:53 p.m. PT, it tweeted innocently, "Excited to be a part of our nation's current & future space technology. Investments are critical to both our future in space and life on Earth."

Notice how it didn't say "humanity's future." That's a dead giveaway. It's clearly referring to the Robopocalypse (and I'm not talking about the forthcoming novel by Daniel Wilson).

It's no surprise that Robonaut 2, or R2, has pretty vague job aboard the International Space Station. The robot co-developed by General Motors is supposed to help the crew--and interact with it. It will be set up for certain tasks, handle tools and flip switches, working autonomously or by remote control. … Read more

NASA's tough-looking Robonaut 2 is slated to ride the Space Shuttle Discovery into orbit this month, and now Japan says it wants to shoot its own humanoid robot to the International Space Station too.

Japan's space agency JAXA says it may put a humanoid on the ISS in 2013 so it can watch over crew members while they sleep and monitor their health and stress levels.

Engineers at the University of Tokyo and staff at advertising giant Dentsu apparently are working on the space droid.

It would be intended for communication--sending pics to Earth via Twitter and boosting public interest in the ISS. NASA, on the other hand, wants humanoid robots to perform tasks on space walks in the future.

"We are thinking in terms of a very human-like robot that would have facial expressions and be able to converse with the astronauts," JAXA's Satoshi Sano was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. … Read more

The Internet may already know who's going to win the Super Bowl, but fortunately there are still some surprises to look forward to at Sunday's big game--like what Robonaut 2 will have to say when it appears on Fox's pregame show.

NASA's experimental humanoid bot took a break from training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston earlier this week to tape a segment with Fox Sports analyst Howie Long. In it, Long and R2 banter about their predictions for which player will win the Chevrolet Super Bowl MVP award and score a new 2012 … Read more

While "robots in space" might sound like a cliche, the Robonaut 2 (R2), will finally be blasting off into outer space next week aboard the space shuttle Discovery. R2's assignment, at the International Space Station, is to assist the astronauts as they work.

GM and NASA created R2 to further vehicle safety systems. Because R2 has advanced sensor capabilities, researchers are able to improve features in vehicles, such as crash avoidance. R2's hands also have incredible dexterity and sensitivity that could some day be used in manufacturing industries.

"One of GM's core goals is … Read more

How do you send a robot to space? Very, very carefully.

When Robonaut 2 heads to the International Space Station this fall, it won't be strapped into a seat like its astronaut companions. Instead, it will be carefully packed inside dense foam and an aluminum frame that's specially designed to withstand the intense vibrations and gravity forces the bot will experience during its ascent into orbit.

Engineers have spent several months devising the best way to secure the humanoid, nicknamed R2, so it arrives at the ISS unharmed. The engineers concocted a plan to attach the robot to … Read more

A NASA robot earmarked for duty on the International Space Station this fall has already begun tweeting about its upcoming mission.

"Check out this photo of me with the STS-133 crew. It is so nice of them to give me a ride up to ISS," Robonaut 2 tweeted this weekend at its new Twitter account, @AstroRobonaut. "R2," as the robot is nicknamed, will get shown off to reporters Wednesday at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

But the tweeting R2 isn't joining the STS-133 mission on the space shuttle Discovery just to keep NASA'… Read more

Robonaut 2, the humanoid working robot that's been under development with NASA and General Motors, is finally ready to show its stuff in outer space, GM announced Wednesday.

The Robonaut 2, aka R2, will take up residence at the International Space Station, with a voyage to its new home planned for this September as part of the STS-133 mission on the space shuttle Discovery.

The Canadian Space Agency already has a humanoid robot residing at the International Space Station for spacewalk. Like the R2, it also has two long arms for completing tasks otherwise done by astronauts. Its primary … Read more