Say Hello to Robonaut2, NASA's Android Space Explorer of the Future

Looks like it's about to bust out an opera.

When are they going to come out with Roboslut!

Power Rangers? More like Recon from Halo!

That was pretty awesome video. I'm especially glad that they partnered with GM, an American company, to get this stuff done. While I'm sure some of it was due to defense security, I'd like to think they intentionally did that to keep jobs in the US.

Just needs a fin on the helmet and it'd look like the Rocketeer

It's the Stig!

Looks like he won't be walking around anytime soon, but I don't think that spacewalks require legs.

This would work great on the moon.

LOL, I like the mustang in the backround

Why does it need 5 fingers when 2 (and the thumb) would suffice?

@ spike6578

What mustang? the background on the monitor was a new Chevy Camaro. You dont know much about cars do you? haha

Cool video though albeit a bit more scripted than I care for. It is good to see that the Japanese are not the only ones excelling in robot design and use.

--GTO--

It's "Lance Henriksen". Fix the spelling.

What a stupid inefficient design............

@poboq and matt1qaw3

I agree, the extra digits on an autonomous robot would be superfluous and complicated. However, the original robonaut (and I'm assuming this one too) was controlled via a helmet cam and sensor-laden gloves that the operator would wear. His movements directly controlled the Robonaut's movements, and in space, inefficiency doesn't really matter as much as dexterity

i figured it was controlled with gloves and helmut, but four fingers doesn't necessarily equal dexterity, you need a gripping ability. Designing a four fingered hand with a thumb probably cost a lot more than a 2 fingered 1 thumb hand would have, and what do the 2 other fingers add?

How stupid. This CANNOT be the space explorer of the future. There is no work around the time delay caused by the speed of light. An astronaut on Mars could bend over a pick up a rock. This thing, operated from Earth, would take an hour to do that simple task. You would have to simulate the move, double check it, perhaps re-do the simulation until perfect, send the commands and wait for the signals to come back telling you whether it worked as expected or not. It's a worth while technology, but not a substitute for a live human in space.

Did you not watch the video. They aren't building this primarily to be the astronaut of the future... or at least this model won't be. It is intended to assist current astronauts. The tedious tasks of preparing an experiment and cleaning up after the experiment is done can be taken by the robot so the astronauts can perform more experiments more efficiently (my wording they didn't specify more experiments).

Since it's called R2 for short it better communicate via beeps and chirps.

It needed to be named C3 not R2 it looks all wrong for an r2 unit.

He is so cute, has a nice body and keeps himself so clean!
I bet a lot of women would like to meet this guy. So yes, I think having all your digits is important! But what does he look like waist down?

Well he doesn't have any legs

Does the robo's helm remind anyone else of Ultraman from that snes game?

that thing is so cool, I got one at home, yeah it's pretty sweet I use it to clean up stuff

@blackspike2710

That's what i thought when i first saw it

how soon can we send r2 to mars,to help stuck rover;& do sum practical hands on experiments;
from what i've heard on popsci, didn't a company come up with way to send packets of data,from earth to moon, using laser, or was that physics mag; i read?;
if not position satellites between earth & mars to give signals boost,;
i think i also remember nasa was allowing people chance to operate rovers on mars,so they must have been able to send packets of data, sufficent enough for couple hours worth of operating time;

The article should have been titled, "GM finally builds something cool... Surprise! Its not a car."

I'm sure Honda is laughing at this. Their a car company that has built all sorts of robots for ages now and theirs can even walk around (Google Asimo).

Although I do dig the "halo-esque" head of the robot.

When will they come out with the T-500!!! I needs an Arnold-bot to defend myself!!!

The GM1s future is represented by robots not by cars

GM & NASA - good example of two government agencies working together :)
Pretty cool, though!

Put it on tank tracks and use it to defuse IEDs in Afganistan

First of all Alfi2009 this would be a horrible way of destroying IED's, shooting an IED with a disrupter round or a counter chargeing it would be more practical.
Second NASA has lost that "right stuff" and can't even get back to the moon so this doesn't even matter!

Thank You

http://www.aglik.com/vb/f122.html
www.aglik.com/vb/t15161.html

Thank You

http://www.aglik.com/vb/f122.html
www.aglik.com/vb/t15161.html

Ummm, its missing its legs.

Cool...

@Rnags
Nasa never went to the moon, it's a hoax