Space Robotics Challenge

Benefits to NASA Funded Missions: This technology provides potential benefits to any place humans explore. The humanoid robots can handle the dull, dangerous and dirty exploration, while humans use their problem solving abilities in situations where the robots require help. The application of these robots is to increase autonomy capabilities for both surface (R5/Valkyrie) and in microgravity (Robonaut). If successful, the results of this work could infuse directly onto Robonaut on ISS. Benefits to NASA Unfunded & Planned Missions: A primarily application of this work is to add autonomy for humanoid robotics. Current Human Mars architectures are showing that infrastructure for these human missions will be in place prior to launching humans. Within these architectures, robotic systems will set up infrastructure and serve as caretakers while waking for crew. The space robotics challenge tasks for R5/Valkyrie are directly applicable to this work. In transit to Mars, the pre-deployed assets spacecraft will need caretaking and maintenance. The autonomy coming out of the SRC is directly applicable to this task as applied to Robonaut class robots. Benefits to Other Government Agencies: Autonomy for humanoid robots has applications within the DoD for disaster relief. In fact, the SRC is a follow-on program to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. The Department of Energy has applications for robots and humanoid robots in waste cleanup. Benefits to the Commercial Space Industry: This item does not benefit the nation. Benefits to the Nation: The SRC places robots in university labs (MIT and Northeastern) as partners to validate space related tasks and to host competition teams during development. By offering NASA robots to the broader robotics community, it supports training of new top of profession performers, leading to new education of the formation of new robotics companies, benefitting the nation through a better educated workforce or a growing economy More »