Robonaut 2 And The Future OF Robots In Space
Robonauts were created by Nasa as humanoids, which can be used to perform essential tasks in space. The creation of such robots meant the possibility of less risk for the astronauts, e.g. when performing space station repairs, and the chance of acquiring a robotic friend to help them in numerous other space station tasks. The Dextrous Robotics Lab at NASA, (in Houston, Texas), started work on these robots. While most space robots, such as the robotic arm were designed to perform specific tasks like moving weights, a Robonaut is supposed to be a more skillful counterpart for astronauts. R2 is planned to eventually become able enough to perform all kinds of tasks that an astronaut can perform and might someday become as good as a humanoid that we see in Sci-Fi space movies.
The most recent Robonaut version is called R2, which is the successor to R1 or Robonaut 1. This humanoid torso has been designed to provide assistance to space station crew and for now requires enhancements and modifications to be able to move around the space station. While R2 may not be as good as a humanoid, as some Sci-Fi movies have depicted, however, Robonauts are eventually hoped to be used beyond low earth orbit and will be providing performance data about human robot affinity in space.
Robonaut 2 aka R2 was revealed in February 2010 to the general public and was launched on STS-133 on February 24, 2011. It reached ISS (International Space Station) on August 22 and has already been powered up for low earth orbit. Robonaut2 is considered to have four times the speed of R1, with better sensing and other capabilities. It can move its arms up to 2 m/s, can handle up to 40 lb of payload and its hands can grasp approximately 5 lbs, per finger. Coming to some hardware aspects, it has 350 sensors and 38 PowerPC processors. Come to think of it, it is a kind of super computer. The only difference is that it can move around.
Initially, R2 was designed for being used on Earth, however, mission managers soon realized its true potential and decided to send it to the international Space Station. Robonaut 2 was also given a number of upgrades in order to make him fit for use in a space station. The changes included outer skin material alterations, added shielding for protecting it against electromagnetic interference, processor upgrade, changes made to the fans, the power system and the wiring.
Additional upgrades might be added to R2, in order to allow the robot to work in the vacuum of space. This can enable R2 to help out astronauts for performing repairs, making additions to the space station and for carrying out experiments. While there is no official word out yet, but it is possible that maybe Nasa will create an upgraded model, (maybe R3), with additional capabilities that may take robot kind to the next level of evolution.