Nasa is working on humanoid robots to accompany astronauts to Mars

WASHINGTON — For over 10 years now, the US space agency has been working on various humanoid robot projects in collaboration with a specialist startup.

With a scheduled return to the Moon, followed by a mission to explore the planet Mars, their use has never seemed so close or so concrete.

For Nasa, the idea is to be able to accompany astronauts on their missions to carry out repetitive but also particularly dangerous tasks, such as construction or exploration missions.

These robots could play an active role in the construction of local bases, for example, but also in the exploration of unknown or simply inaccessible areas for humans.

Above all, they could be used to collect and transport heavy samples. Meanwhile, astronauts could focus on other tasks, such as scientific research.
Nasa’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is collaborating with Apptronik on the development of two types of humanoid robot, named Valkyrie and Apollo.

Valkyrie is a humanoid robot measuring almost 1.90 m and weighing around 140 kg, designed to operate in particularly harsh environments.

At present, it can walk, run, jump and handle large objects. The more recent and compact Apollo is also still in development. More agile, it should also be easier to send into hostile environments. Valkyrie is expected to be the first model to become operational.

While these robots have been specially customized for extreme missions, in direct collaboration with Nasa teams, Apptronik also plans to produce them on a larger scale for other tasks on Earth.

For, while humanoid robots are a technology that could revolutionise space exploration, projects in many other fields are multiplying, the idea being to create flexible, intelligent machines capable of eventually replacing humans in repetitive, thankless tasks. — ETX Studio