robonaut.jsc.nasa.govRobonaut 2 - NASA's Dextrous Humanoid Robot

Click to+ Visit NASA.gov + Visit JSC Engineering + Visit National Robotics Initiative Home ISS Mission Mobility GM Partnership NFM 2019 Future PlansRobonaut 1 A Dream Realized Robonaut 2 launched up to the ISS on February 24th, 2011, fulfilling a 15 year dream to put a humanoid robot into space. Download HD MOV : Download WMV Mobility NASA JSC has developed a series of Centaur rovers to carry the Robonaut upper bodies and other payloads. More... R2 STS-133 Trailer "Movie Trailer" for ’s launch on STS-133 Download HD MOV : Download WMV R2 ISS Taskboard practicing with its ISS Taskboard Download HD MOV : Download WMV R2 to ISS Making a space worthy Robonaut Download HD MOV : Download WMV Robonaut 2 Time Lapse: Getting packed for space flight Download HD MOV : Download WMV Robonaut 2 Technology Suite Offers Opportunities in Vast Range of Industries Nearly 50 individual technologies available for licensing Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), in collaboration with General Motors and Oceaneering, have designed a state-of-the-art, highly dexterous, humanoid robot: Robonaut 2 (R2). R2 is made up of multiple component technologies and systemsvision systems, image recognition systems, sensor integrations, tendon hands, control algorithms, and much more. R2’s nearly 50 patented and patent-pending technologies have the potential to be game-changers in multiple industries, including logistics and distribution, medical and industrial robotics, and beyond. What is a Robonaut? A Robonaut is a dexterous humanoid robot built and designed at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Our challenge is to build machines that can help humans work and explore in space. Working side by side with humans, or going where the risks are too great for people, Robonauts will expand our ability for construction and discovery. Central to that effort is a capability we call dexterous manipulation, embodied by an ability to use one’s hand to do work, and our challenge has been to build machines with dexterity that exceeds that of a suited astronaut. Robonaut 2 The Robonaut project has been conducting research in robotics technology on board the International Space Station (ISS) since 2012 ( more on R2 in the ISS ). Recently, the original upper body humanoid robot was upgraded by the addition of two climbing manipulators ("legs"), more capable processors, and new sensors. While Robonaut 2 (R2) has been working through checkout exercises on orbit following the upgrade, technology development on the ground has continued to advance. Through the Active Reduced Gravity Offload System (ARGOS), the Robonaut team has been able to develop technologies that will enable full operation of the robotic testbed on orbit using similar robots located at the Johnson Space Center. Once these technologies have been vetted in this way, they will be implemented and tested on the R2 unit on board the ISS. The goal of this work is to create a fully-featured robotics research platform on board the ISS to increase the technology readiness level of technologies that will aid in future exploration missions. One advantage of a humanoid design is that Robonaut can take over simple, repetitive, or especially dangerous tasks on places such as the International Space Station. Because R2 is approaching human dexterity, tasks such as changing out an air filter can be performed without modifications to the existing design. Another way this might be beneficial is during a robotic precursor mission. R2 would bring one set of tools for the precursor mission, such as setup and geologic investigation. Not only does this improve efficiency in the types of tools, but also removes the need for specialized robotic connectors. Future missions could then supply a new set of tools and use the existing tools already on location. Development R2 was designed and developed by NASA and General Motors with assistance from Oceaneering Space Systems engineers to accelerate development of the next generation of robots and related technologies for use in the automotive and aerospace industries. R2 is a state of the art highly dexterous anthropomorphic robot. Like its predecessor Robonaut 1 (R1), R2 is capable of handling a wide range of EVA tools and interfaces, but R2 is a significant advancement over its predecessor. R2 is capable of speeds more than four times faster than R1, is more compact, is more dexterous, and includes a deeper and wider range of sensing. Advanced technology spans the entire R2 system and includes: optimized overlapping dual arm dexterous workspace, series elastic joint technology, extended finger and thumb travel, miniaturized 6-axis load cells, redundant force sensing, ultra-high speed joint controllers, extreme neck travel, and high resolution camera and IR systems. The project is led by the Robotics Systems Technology Branch in the Software Robotics and Simulation Division at Johnson Space Center ’s Engineering Directorate. For Education focused information about Robonaut and robotics in general go to NASA Education Robotics page. Other Interesting Links Game Changing Development GDC Principle Investigator - Rob Ambrose GDC Human Robotic Systems National Robotics Initiative Office of the Chief Technologist Space Exploration Vehicle Watch Dr. Ron Diftler and Dr. Julia Badger give a live demonstration of Robonaut 2 to a group of students at the Good Samaritan Institute. FACEBOOK FLICKRTWITTER NASA Sites... JSC Engineering National Robotics Initiative NASA Education Robotics Ciencia@NASA Earth Observatory Greatest Images of NASA Human Spaceflight Web Liftoff to Learning Mars Exploration NASA Education Program NASA History NASA Image Exchange NASA Kids NASA Spacelink Planetary Photojournal Science@NASA NASA Technology NASA Enterprises and Centers... Aerospace Technology Biological and Physical Research Earth Science Human Exploration & Dev. of Space Space Science Headquarters Ames Research Center Dryden Flight Research Center Glenn Flight Research Center Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory Johnson Space Center Kennedy Space Center Langley Research Center Marshall Space Flight Center Stennis Space Center + Freedom of Information Act + Budgets, Strategic Plans and Accountability Reports + The President’s Management Agenda + NASA Privacy Statement, Disclaimer, and Accessibility Certification + Inspector General Hotline + Equal Employment Opportunity Data Posted Pursuant to the No Fear Act + Information-Dissemination Priorities and Inventories Author/Designer: Julia Badger NASA Official: Ron Diftler Media Contact: Jay Bolden Last Updated: 09-10-2019 13:52:50 (UTC) + Contact NASA version:...