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Telerobotics Latest News

Chris Provenche observes astronaut Kevin Ford set up and supervise the red Smart SPHERES activity.

'Smart SPHERES' Fly High Aboard Space Station

In the future, small robots similar to the SPHERES experiment could perform routine maintenance and give astronauts more time for science experiments.

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Collage image of the full moon, with a K10 rover inset

Telerobotics Team to Demonstrate K10 Rover

On Sept. 22, space enthusiasts at Moffett Field, Calif., will watch a next-generation NASA robot perform on International Observe the Moon Night.

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Smart Phones Working With Smart SPHERES

Mark Micire, SPHERES Engineering Manager, shares various education and research capabilities possible when working with SPHERES robotic technology.

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Robonaut and spacesuit-gloved hands

Robotic Technology Lends More Than Just a Helping Hand

While Robonaut has been busy testing its technology aboard station, NASA and GM have been working together to find new uses of those technologies.

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International Space Station researcher Mike Fossum, commander of Expedition 29, puts one of the Smart SPHERES through its paces.

'Smart SPHERES' Tested Successfully on Space Station

In November, a free-flying robot on the International Space Station successfully gathered and delivered motion data via a new smartphone controller.

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NASA astronaut Ron Garan, Expedition 28 flight engineer, performs a check on Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES, floating freely in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

Students Gain Love of Space with Summer Camp

Teachers commonly ask students to share summer experiences. This year a few can say that they controlled satellites on the ISS!

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Astronaut Mike Fossum works on the Robonaut 2 helper droid.

Robonaut Wakes Up In Space

After months of patiently snoring away in its storage bag, Robonaut 2 -- the first dexterous humanoid robot in space -- finally got its wakeup call.

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HET: Key Mission Facts

    • In space exploration, robots must work in extreme conditions, and must be remotely operated over highly constrained communication networks. Consequently, telerobots now in use on Earth are largely inappropriate for space operations, and new, advanced designs and control modes are required.
    • The Human Exploration Telerobotics mission makes extensive use of open-source software -- from user interfaces to robot controllers -- and relies on open-source platforms such as Android and Linux for most computing. Open source accelerates software development, increases quality and makes technology transfer easier.
    • The SPHERES free-flying robots use an Android "Nexus S" smartphone for data processing -- the first commercial smartphone certified by NASA to fly on the space shuttle and the first cleared for use on the International Space Station.
    • Robonaut 2 is a two-armed, humanoid robot flown to the space station in 2011. Robonaut 2 is part of a long-term NASA effort to develop robots with dexterous manipulation capabilities similar to those of suited astronauts.
    • Disruption Tolerant Networking software is used to compensate for intermittent network connectivity and delays when sending data between computers on the ground and robots in space. NASA and other space agencies are using it to create a "Space Internet."
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