The Robot Humanoids, will they replace astronauts in future space missions?

As it continues to appear, the scientific community has made advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. Consequently, it has allowed many to view the future of science much more broadly.


NASA recently announced in the news that they have made a collaboration with the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has agreed that they will provide a humanoid robot with the intention of developing robotic strategies that will sustain future space travel to Mars and even other planets as well.

The humanoid type robot weighs approximately 280 pounds and is about 6 feet tall. It is known that MIT assigned the responsibilities of this project to Russ Tedrake, Chief Researcher, to develop the respective algorithms. "An algorithm is a prescribed set of well-defined rules or instructions and finite orders, that enables activity through successive performing steps that do not generate doubts, to who should perform such activity, where given an initial state and an entry, following successive steps It reaches a final state and a solution” that will be included in the robot named "Valkyrie " and also in the " R5 ".

The researchers aim to finish the project in just enough time to be part of the next planetary exploration conducted by NASA. The intent of the research is also to perfect robotic techniques that will be integrated into Valkyrie and become much more autonomous and skillful so that in the future it may replace the astronauts in complex and dangerous journeys. It is undoubtedly an ambitious and challenging project that involves various sciences in which physics and mathematics play the dominant roles.


The researchers were selected based on the Projects Agency Defense and Advanced Research (APDIA). It was reported that the initial amount the will receive is $250,000 per year for two years. We think it is a good investment of NASA.

NASA has shown its interest in humanoid robots, and believes that this project can help replace astronauts in future space travel on extreme environments. The R5 prototype is designed to be used in future space missions, as well as managing the mission until the astronauts arrives or as assistant to the mission team. In the first instance, the R5 robot was designed to complete relief maneuvers. Now the R5’s main goal will be to engage in deeper explorations.



Steve Jurczk, researcher, reported that "Advances in robotics, including collaboration in human robotics are essential for the development of the necessary skills for future missions to Mars." Jurczk is an associate administrator for the Office of Technology Space Mission (STMD) NASA in Washington. "We are very pleased to engage these research groups, university students, to help NASA with this next big step in the development of robotics technology."

As head of the Locomotive Group of Robotic LOCOM (GLR), Jurczk has great experience with autonomous robots. In the last three years he has led a team of over 20 researchers to develop algorithms for a company, associated with the government.

Jurczk tried to develop a 6 foot humanoid robot; called Atlas. The functions that Atlas we was responsible for was opening doors, turning valves, drilling holes, climbing stairs, climbing concrete blocks, and driving a car. These functions were given for completion in about one hour.

Tedrake is also part of another project of more than $ 25,000.00 in the research center, funded by the Toyota of CSAIL. To develop autonomous cars, focusing specifically on the algorithms and systems that allow such vehicles to perceive and navigate in an environment with advanced security and making decisions without human intervention.

The largest partnership will be coordinated by Gill Pratt PhD '89, a former MIT professor, who recently served as program director in the Office of DARPA Defense Sciences. In addition, Tedrake’s team in CSAIL, NASA also gave a robot R5 to a team led by Taskin Padir of the Northeastern University.



As we have continued to see progress in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, individuals have led a relentless march to help humanity. Every day, movies such as Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. are beginning to look more and more real, making a bevy science fiction. According to a scientist at NASA's humanoid robotics project, this can all be a reality within 20 to 30 years. Subsequently space travel will be led by Robots probably within the middle of this century, or perhaps earlier.

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