GM And NASA Team Up On Robonaut 2 Humanoid Robot

Space exploration is one of the things that many Americans want to see continue, but there are some mission that are too dangerous for humans. NASA also wants to develop humanoid robots that can work side by side with humans in space and to make that happen NASA and GM are working together on a humanoid robot called Robonaut 2.Robonaut 2 also goes by the name R2, which should make George Lucas happy considering Motorola had to license the name DROID from Lucas for its smartphone. The R2 robot is said to be the most dexterous robot with its hands ever made. The bot is capable of doing tasks with its hands beyond the scope of other humanoid machines according to NASA.

NASA's needs in the project are clear, but GMs are a bit more obtuse. GM sees the project as a way to develop new sensors, controls, and vision technology that can be integrated into future automobiles and factories to make them safer. GM also worked with NASA in the past by collaborating on key bits of technology for the 1960's moon mission like the Lunar Rover Vehicle.