We love our space robots, from the paranoid C-3PO in a galaxy far far away to the clinically depressed Marvin who’s hitchhiking around the universe to the inexplicably incompetent Robot Model B-9, lost in space.
Now NASA hopes to add to this impressive array of fictional robots with the real thing.
NASA’s program will enlist the help of robotic companies like Texas-based Apptronik, which is currently developing a humanoid robot called Apollo to work in warehouses and manufacturing plants. Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas said Apollo will ultimately be capable of working in “unstructured spaces.”
NASA hopes to find out whether humanoid robots designed for earth-bound tasks will work in space. The end goal is to use humanoid robots to perform risky tasks, like cleaning solar panels or inspecting malfunctioning equipment outside the spacecraft.
NASA Dexterous Robotics Team Leader Shaun Azimi commented, “We’re not trying to replace human crews, we’re really just trying to take the dull, dirty, and dangerous work off their plates to allow them to focus on those higher-level activities.”
With any luck, NASA may even be able to add a little personality to its robot. How about a Data who wants to be a real boy?