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Robonaut "B" Getting Ready for Space
mykepredko writes "CNN has more about Robonaut B, which is an updated version of the original Robonaut including mobility using a modified Segway or a 'Space Leg' which allows it to use handholds on the ISS. I was expecting to see that it was being primarily developed for Hubble, but it should also be very useful for the ISS, allowing astronauts to stay inside when construction resumes."
It's much safer for the astronauts to be inside instead of outside the station. Would you be happy if it were autonomous? Because really, the first step I would think is to make something that works first, even if it needs outside input, before making it completely autonomous.
WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
You do realise that the astronauts are up there for other reasons too, right? It's not like they're up there solely to maintain the robot.
I think the idea of space habitation is to make it safe for humans to live and work in space, and that means making space suits that are safe and light weight enough to allow astronauts to get outside and do the job. This robot is just a step backwards from the goal (and a step towards sending the astronauts home).
It's not a step backwards. Keep in mind, astronauts were able to fix the Hubble in their current suits. They'll still be working on safer, lighter, more manuverable suits too. It's not like they're just going to give up on that, especially with the for manned Moon and Mars missions. If anything, it's in the right direction for autonomous robots. There will also be a place for robots and there will always be a place for humans. We need to work on both techonologies.
So what exactly do you want? Completely autonomous robots or completely safe spacesuits? We simply don't have the technology for either. It's space. It's dangerous. I don't think any kind of spacesuit in the next 25 years could survive a random debris collision of something even as small as a fingernail at those kind of speeds. That's where robots come into play. If it can be done without a human, all the better. That's not to say that rovers and robots should completely replace humans for space exploration, as we still need to the human element to connect with.
WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?