Robonaut 2 -- or R2 for short-- entered Earth's orbit aboard Space Shuttle Discovery just a few minutes ago making it the first humanoid robot to serve with NASA astronauts. R2 is 3-feet 4-inches from the waste up, weighs a hefty yet toned 330 pounds and with no lower half is conveniently androgynous.
Though similar in name to the trashcan-shaped R2D2 from Star Wars, R2 is much more advanced and eloquent. In fact, R2 tweeted the recent shuttle launch with a sense of humor:
Built by General Motors R2 bears a striking resemblance to its fellow astronaut coworkers -- above the torso, that is. NASA was clearly strategic in this design, as only the torso upward will be shipped on this first mission. R2 will work from a pedestal to acclimate to zero gravity conditions before being rejoined with its lower extremities after Discovery lands back on Earth. (The legs aren’t quite ready yet, says NASA’s Rob Ambrose.)
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
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