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Robonaut To Escort On Space Shuttle Mission
An anonymous reader writes "The STS-133 crew will deliver robot Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station. Cocooned inside an aluminum frame and foam blocks cut out to its shape, R2 is heading to the station inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. R2, with its humanlike hands and arms and stereo vision, is expected to perform some of the repetitive or more mundane functions inside the orbiting laboratory to free astronauts for more complicated tasks and experiments."
Nope, that would be R2+D2, what you meant is subtract it, sheesh, news for nerds.
Just as long as they don't start staffing their shuttles with bending units!
seriously, why are humans (who need food, rest, air, copious exercise and a million dollar toilet) still our primary means of getting work done in space?
Does it have a giant red LED and talk in a very calm, soothing voice?
R2, with its humanlike hands and arms and stereo vision, is expected to perform some of the repetitive or more mundane functions inside the orbiting laboratory...
The PETR activists are gonna have a field day with this one...
... he doesn't fart.
perhaps you meant: Dave: Open the pod bay door R2 R2: Fuck you asshole
I'm thinking "no". Have you seen pictures of Arnie recently?
More like "In the flab on my back, you could say hasta la vista to a baby, or maybe a full-grown man."
"This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
In before LucasFilm sues their asses off.
And from the looks of the thing, Bungie/Microsoft may want to take a shot, too.
Edith Keeler Must Die
You can follow its adventures on twitter: @AstroRobonaut
For those cold, lonely nights on the ISS.
Next they'll ruin R2 by making him fly with tiny rockets.
*DrugCheese rants*
With all the power of the internets, the article can't give us more than a thumbnail of this robot. You want some real robot pron, go to engadget: http://www.engadget.com/photos/nasa-and-gms-robonaut2/2677799/#2677802
The gold visored helmet. WANT
Pumping IRON: http://www.engadget.com/photos/nasa-and-gms-robonaut2/2677799/#2677804
Today we not only have touchy-feely user interfaces, we also have escort service to the International Space Station
... repetitive or more mundane functions inside the orbiting laboratory...
As a layman, I'd think the more troublesome tasks on the ISS involved the hassle of getting into an EVA suit for activities outside the space station. In which case the bulky pressure suit and heavy gloves are likely to give an astronaut no better manual dexterity than what could be provided by a robotic waldo. So wouldn't it be smarter to have the robot on an armature external to the station? Or is this just considered a testing phase to make sure that such robot is reliable and flexible enough before putting it on the more appropriate outside work duty?
And whatever happened to the Boba-Fett look of the previous prototype? I thought that was cool.
I saw an article on Boing Boing about a month ago telling about this guy being sent to the moon in 2013 with Armadillo Aerospace providing the lander. I was surprised I never saw anything on /. covering the clip.
http://boingboing.net/2010/07/08/nasa-robonauts-on-mo.html
If you added a 'D2' onto the name, you'd have R2-D2. There, I said it. Now nobody else can make lame puns.
Nope, that would be R2+D2, what you meant is subtract it, sheesh, news for nerds.
AC was proven wrong yet again!
It's cool and all, but did they seriously need to gold plate the thing?
No, it's obviously Marvin.
... is expected to perform some of the repetitive or more mundane functions inside the orbiting laboratory
....
R2
Here I am, brain the size of a planet
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
that robot has a gun! we're totally screwed!
It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
As an oldish (40+) programmer who's only recently got into robotics (the simple stuff - arduino, sparkfun, xbee, khr3-hv), coding the control software to make a robot actually do stuff is way more challenging than the supposedly complex projects I work at on my day job. Programming a robot kit to walk or pull poses is simple enough, but coding 'any form of 'intelligent' decision making ends up with lines and lines of code and as many sensors you can sensibly add to the hardware.
I thought it would be pretty simple to build and code a robot cleaner - like a basic remote control car that just drives around the house with a duster underneath which heads back home when the batteries are running low and recharges. Clearly the challenge of climbing the stairs can move to the version 2 release, but if I stick it on the first floor, just stopping it falling down the stairs needs around five sensors and over 500 lines of code.
Two cameras for 3D spatial awareness? Try coding it to tell the difference between and apple and an orange. Built in GPS to get an absolute position reference? Even if you get a signal, 5 meter accuracy doesn't help much when you are driving it towards a lift shaft.
That's why I love this stuff.
It's a Waldo, not a robot.
For God's sake not a single "robotic overlord" post yet ? It's a fucking ROBOT. IN SPACE !!11!one =P
while (true != false) process_more_stupid_code();
i had a bad feeling when i read the summary, but when I saw the picture of the thing it became very clear what is going to happen. I've seen enough sci-fi to know that thing is definitely going to turn on the crew when it gets up there. It will probably sample everyone's voices and for years it will provide radio communication and no one will realize that astronaut and cosmonaut corpses are circling the earth. Then it will watch from above as it figures out ways to manipulate government intelligence and pits America against the former USSR until both countries are annihilated.
ôó
Now that's an expensive escort service...
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Time to get of my lawn.
"Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"