Controlling the Robonaut

While Robonaut is sent out of the spacecraft to work on repairs or new construction, a human astronaut inside the spacecraft will control it remotely. The astronaut will be outfitted with a helmet and gloves, and Robonaut will mimic the astronaut's movements. If the astronaut looks up, the Robonaut's head will tilt backward to do the same. As the astronaut turns his or her head, whatever the Robonaut's cameras are focused on will be displayed inside the helmet that is controlling the robot's head movements. This form of remote control is called tele-presence, which virtually puts the astronaut in position to work on a spacecraft without actually being outside the spacecraft.

Photo courtesy NASA
NASA researchers demonstrates a prototype for the helmet that will control Robonaut's head movements

The primary purpose of Robonaut is to do what humans can't -- make a quick escape from a spacecraft to an environment with no oxygen. It can depart the spacecraft in the fraction of the time that a human astronaut can. In an emergency situation, when timing is crucial to survival, the Robonaut could save lives of future space voyagers. Robonaut won't be limited to use in space. It could also be used to go into hazardous locations on Earth in place of humans, like volcanoes and nuclear plants.

Robonaut will be powered by PowerPC processors, which has been used in other space applications. The processors will run the VxWorks real-time operating system. NASA says that this combination offers flexible computing and could support varied development activities. The system's software is written in C and C++. ControlShell software is used to aid the development process and provides a graphical development environment, which enhances researchers understanding of the system and code.

With computing power nearly doubling every two years, Robonaut could one day be looked back on as the beginning of a robotic takeover of the space industry. Robots with artificial intelligence, not man, could be the first explorers to walk on other planets in our solar system. Can you imagine hearing,"That's one small step for machines, and one giant leap for robot-kind." While that is unlikely to happen, the possibilities are exciting.