WASHINGTON: NASA revealed that it developed R5 to complete disaster-relief maneuvers, however, its main goal is to prove itself worthy of even trickier terrain — deep space exploration.
Considering how helpful humanoid robots can be in deep space missions, NASA has awarded prototypes to two universities for advanced research and development work – Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
The proposals that NASA selected are Robust Autonomy for Extreme Space Environments: Hosting R5 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, led by principal investigator Russ Tedrake and Accessible Testing on Humanoid-Robot-R5 and Evaluation of NASA Administered (ATHENA) Space Robotics Challenge — Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, led by principal investigator Taskin Padir.
NASA is particularly interested in humanoid robots because they can either assist, or act as a precursor to astronauts working in space. However, the USA space agency also plans to utilize the robot for space exploration missions that will involve performing tasks with humans or along with a crew.
