Space robots are baptism of fire in space

Space robotsThe two developed at the Technical University of Vienna Space Robot Roby Space Junior I and II have passed its first test in space. The Sunday started by the Japanese Uchinoura Space Center rocket placed the two robots as planned. Their task was to get around on a strained inter-satellite network. “After what we know so far, the robot worked as planned. For further details you can say only after evaluating the data,” said project manager Peter Kopacek of Institute for Intelligent Handling and Robotics in the press-text interview. Continue reading

NASA is testing robots for use in space

NASA is testing robots for use in spaceNASA engineers have developed a robot able to navigate in space and maneuver on the ground. Their trials were held in Moses Lake, Washington. There have been several tests 12-wheeled automated transport and six-legged rover that can carry massive loads. Also, tests were carried out drilling and mapping robot. According to the trial committee, these devices would greatly assist in future space exploration activities of other planets. Continue reading

Other mission Prior to NASA and robotics

NASA and roboticsAlthough NASA spends most of its budget for space flight in human beings, there were many robotic missions. In 1962, the Mariner 2 mission was launched and became the first spacecraft to pass near another planet (Venus in this case).

The missions Ranger, Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter were essential to discover the nature of the lunar surface before trying to send astronauts. After the two Viking probes landed on the surface of Mars and have returned color photos of Earth. Perhaps more impressive were the Pioneer and Voyager missions that have visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Having lost the moon race, the USSR has changed its approach. On 17 July 1975, Apollo 18 spacecraft docked to the Soviet Soyuz 19, in the Apollo-Soyuz project. Although the Cold War has continued until the 1990’s it was an important moment in the history of NASA, and international collaboration that is commonplace today began with this mission.

The first space station of the USA, Skylab, was built in the late 1970.On robot called a mechanical device automatically performing tasks generally considered dangerous or difficult for humans. The development of electronics and information technology allows treatment increasingly complex.

The definition of what is recorded or not robot varies among countries. In Japan, for example, this category includes unlike the France number of machine tools programmable. Despite their high cost at the time (for lack of powerful microprocessors mass-produced), robots have become very quickly, the early 70’s, for certain tasks like painting body automobiles, air toxic fumes.

Robot Astronaut Robonaut 2 in this year’s first went into space.

Robot AstronautCurrently, NASA makes preparatory operations whose purpose is to launch the space of a humanoid robot Rowboat 2 (R2). The robot will go to the International Space Station (ISS) in the mission Discovery STS-133 launch is scheduled for the month of September 2010. Continue reading

Robotwars Magazine

600x400-honda_ridgeline_rechvac-8aa2f89dfacbce335f273c86e39be724Robot Wars Magazine is a 68 page monthly publication available from W.H. Smith in the UK price £3.50. It is also available in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. The magazine features practical articles on robot building and a monthly column of speculations on the future of robotics. Copies of some of the articles from earlier issues are included here. Continue reading

Embodiment of robots and computers

robotinteraction-mainEmbodiment of robots and computers are very similar to humans, and viewers in suspense. This is the “uncanny valley” effect. One hypothesis for this effect, the real composite is similar to human evoke the notion of a human, it is because the lack of healthy human image, in the evolution of human attempts to avoid such unhealthy developed to describe the resulting emotions. This time, in order to verify whether the emotions have evolutionary origins of this instability, Continue reading

NASA space shuttle launch today Endeavor to send “robot alien” space

F200803111332262283476724The space shuttle Endeavor in the U.S. NASA will be released on 11 Eastern time U.S., as scheduled. 7 astronauts and concentrated on October 9th at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This space trip Endeavor send the “robot alien” developed by Canada and the experimental module “La Esperanza” developed by Japan to the International Space Station.

It is an arduous task that flight of Endeavor, which set a new record in the duration and the number of spacewalks by astronauts on flight tasks NASA to establish the International Space Station. This space trip will last 16 days as scheduled. Its main task is sent to the International Space Station two-armed robot named Dextre and the experimental module “La Esperanza”, developed by Canada and Japan, respectively.

To install the robot and the experimental module on the International Space Station, astronauts intend to make 5 spacewalks. The total operation time will be approximately 30 hours. The astronauts jokingly call the Dextre two-armed robot developed by Canada Frankenstein, “Strange Science” described by the English writer Mary Shelley. Dextre, with arms of approximately 3.4 meters long each and about shoulder width 2.4 meters, is about 3.7 meters high, weighing 1550 kilos and has no legs or face.

Dextre, the robot’s name comes from the English word “Dexterous. Like its name, the robot can rotate freely on their waist and each of its two arms has 7 joints. In his hands, rather tongs, handles are installed, cameras and lights. However, Dextre can work with only one arm each time to avoid imbalance or shock in his hands. The initial purpose of developing Dextre is to help astronauts maintain the space telescope “Hubble” and the astronauts of the ISS to accomplish tasks and meet certain hazardous tasks outside the module in place of astronauts.

NASA plans to put spiders in space robot

vista-espacioA mission to determine if robots, like spiders, they can build complex structures in space, will be launched in January 2006 according to ew Scientist magazine. The spider bots could build large structures from a “web” released from a larger spacecraft. The engineers behind the project plan to eventually construct colossal solar panels for satellites that will transmit solar energy back to Earth. The satellites could reflect and concentrate the sun’s rays on a power receiving station on Earth or perhaps in the form of microwaves.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched a satellite called Furoshiki on 18 January 2006, which will conduct three experiments to test this idea. The satellite will be deployed from a rocket into a suborbital trajectory. This means that scientists will have only 10 minutes of microgravity in which to perform their tests before the craft starts its descent back to Earth and eventually burns up in the atmosphere. The first experiment will see three small satellites separated from the mother ship and stretch out to form two corners of a triangular net with it.
Onboard cameras will be used to constantly check the network as possible, which measures 40 meters on each side, and that the satellites do not become entangled in the web.

Orbital web
Later, two smaller robots, called RobySpace Junior 1 and 2 will be sent from the mothership and maneuver along the filaments of the fabric.
These spider robots could one day be used to construct large pieces of sets of solar reflectors. The prototype robots, built by engineers at the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Vienna University of Technology, will test how to maneuver throughout the network in the absence of gravity.
Each robot has a set of wheels that can grip both sides of a network line to avoid floating off into space. “Hopefully we can prove first that it is possible to move along a very thin, free-floating in a controlled manner,” says Leopold Summerer Advanced Concepts Team of ESA. While robots are being deployed, a ground station will instruct the mother satellite and satellites to synchronize their children microwave antennas and beam a signal back to a receiving station on Earth.
One small step :The mission will last only a short time but will cost much less than an experiment in orbit. “We wanted to try an experiment of longer duration in satellites,” says Nobuyuki Kaya, an engineer from the University of Kobe, Japan, who is working on the satellite’s microwave experiment.
“But we have no budget. We think this is only a first step.”
A satellite capable of beaming one billion watts of electricity generated by the sun and sent back to Earth would probably need a solar panel with an area of one square kilometer. The spider robots could also be used to build massive communication antennas or a shield to protect satellites from orbiting space junk.