NASA Awards Two Robots to University Groups for R&D Upgrades

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November 17, 2015

RELEASE 15-222

NASA Awards Two Robots to University Groups for R&D Upgrades

Humanoid robots will be helpful to astronauts on our journey to Mars, so NASA
has awarded prototypes to two universities for advanced research and
development work.

NASA is interested in humanoid robots because they can help or even take the
place of astronauts working in extreme space environments. Robots, like
NASA's R5, could be used in future NASA missions either as precursor robots
performing mission tasks before humans arrive or as human-assistive robots
actively collaborating with the human crew. R5 initially was designed to
complete disaster-relief maneuvers, however, its main goal is to prove itself
worthy of even trickier terrain -- deep space exploration.

"Advances in robotics, including human-robotic collaboration, are critical
to developing the capabilities required for our journey to Mars," said
Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission
Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We are excited to
engage these university research groups to help NASA with this next big step
in robotics technology development."

The two university proposals selected are:

* Robust Autonomy for Extreme Space Environments: Hosting R5 at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, led by
principal investigator Russ Tedrake
* 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

The two university groups were chosen through a competitive selection process
from groups entered in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Robotics Challenge. They also will receive as much as $250,000 a year for two
years and have access to onsite and virtual technical support from NASA.
STMD's Game Changing Development Program, which is charged with rapidly
maturing innovative technologies that will one day change the way NASA
explores space, is funding the research.

The university principal investigators will serve as critical partners in
NASA's upcoming Space Robotics Challenge where the two R5 units will act as
instruments. The challenge is part of the agency's Centennial Challenges
Program, and is divided into two competitions: a virtual competition using
robotic simulations, and a physical competition using the two upgraded R5
robots. The goal of the challenge is to create better software for dexterous
humanoid robots used in space missions, giving them more autonomy.

NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, manages the Game
Changing Development Program for NASA's Space Technology Mission
Directorate. The Space Technology Mission Directorate is responsible for
developing the cross-cutting, pioneering, new technologies and capabilities
needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions.

For more information about NASA's cross-cutting space technology, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

For more information about NASA's Centennial Challenges, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/winit

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