NASA, GM unveil Robonaut 2 (photos)
The updated humanoid robot is handy with tools and 20-pound weights, and ready to work on the assembly line or in outer space.
Robonaut 2
A helping hand
Robotic handyman
"For GM, this is about safer cars and safer plants," Alan Taub, the automaker's vice president for global research and development, said in a statement. "When it comes to future vehicles, the advancements in controls, sensors and vision technology can be used to develop advanced vehicle safety systems. The partnership's vision is to explore advanced robots working together in harmony with people, building better, higher quality vehicles in a safer, more competitive manufacturing environment."
A weighty workload
20-pound curls
Robonaut 2 isn't the first collaboration between NASA and GM. The two worked together four decades ago on the Apollo program, developing navigation systems and the lunar rover vehicle.