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NASA is using a test facility in Houston to develop robots that could help with hands-on tasks during future human space missions.
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NASA’s 16-member Dexterous Robotics Team at Johnson Space Center in Houston develops hardware and software for jobs that require human-like hand movements. Its iMETRO facility gives NASA programmes and outside partners a place to test robots and components using simulations, spacecraft and habitat mock-ups, and an outdoor rock yard. [1]
NASA says a team from PickNik Inc used the facility to test software that enabled a robotic arm to recognise and open a spacecraft hatch, then move cargo bags between the hatch and a bin. In another project, a NASA intern tested software using a commercial arm and camera to inspect and maintain a freezer like those aboard the space station. These were tests at the facility, not operations in space. [1]
Team lead Shaun Azimi says the aim is to make human exploration safer and more sustainable, not to replace astronauts. The team’s near-term focus is technology to support a sustained human presence on the Moon, with potential applications for future Mars missions. [1]
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