A mobile version of the NASA/DARPA Robonaut humanoid recently completed initial autonomy trials working directly with humans in cluttered environments. This compact robot combines the upper body of the Robonaut system with a Segway ™ Robotic Mobility Platform yielding a dexterous, maneuverable humanoid ideal for interacting with human co-workers in a range of environments. This system uses stereovision to locate human teammates and tools and a navigation system that uses laser range and vision data to follow humans while avoiding obstacles. Tactile sensors provide information to grasping algorithms for efficient tool exchanges. The autonomous architecture utilizes these pre-programmed skills to form complex behaviors. The initial behavior demonstrates a robust capability to assist a human by acquiring a tool from a remotely located individual and then following the human in a cluttered environment with the tool for future use.

Engineers at the Johnson Space Center recently combined the upper body of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robonaut system with a Robotic Mobility Platform (RMP) to make an extremely mobile humanoid robot designed to interact with human teammates. Virtual Reality gear that immerses a human operator into Robonaut's working environment provides the primary control pathway for remote operations. Human/robot interface challenges are addressed in the control system for teleoperators, console operators and humans working directly with the Robonaut. Multiple control modes are available for controlling the five fingered dexterous robot hands and operator selectable depending on the type of grasp required. A relative positioning system is used to maximize operator comfort during arm and head motions. Foot pedals control the mobility base. Initial tasks that include working with human rated tools, navigating hallways and cutting wires are presented and show the effectiveness of telepresence control for this class of robot.

The Johnson Space Center has developed a new mobile manipulation system with the combination of a Robonaut upper body mounted onto a Segway mobile base. The objective is to study a fluid and coordinated control of dexterous limbs on a mobile robot. The system has been demonstrated interacting with people, tools, and urban interfaces built for humans. Human interactions have included manually exchanging objects with humans, following people, and tracking people with hand held objects such as flashlights. Like other configurations of the Robonaut family, the upper body provides dexterity for using tools such as wire cutters, shovels, space flight gear, and handling flexible tethers and fabrics. The Segway base is a custom version called the Robotic Mobility Platform (RMP) built for DARPA, and provided to NASA for this collaborative effort. The RMP's active balance gives Robonaut a relatively small footprint for its height, allowing it to pass through doors and elevators built for humans, and use wheelchair accessible ramps and lifts. Lessons learned from this development are presented to improve the design of future mobile manipulation systems, and the Segway base provides mobility to Robonaut for Earth based testing.

NASA's Human Space Flight program depends heavily on spacewalks performed by human astronauts. These Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs) are risky, expensive and complex. In collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA is developing a robotic astronaut's assistant called Robonaut that can boost EVA productivity and help conserve human EVA hours. Robonaut is an anthropomorphic robot equipped with human-like dexterous manipulation and zero-g locomotion capabilities. In order to move about in a zero-g environment, a robot must be able to climb autonomously, using gaits that smoothly manage its momentum and that minimize contact forces while providing for safety in the event of an emergency requiring the system to stop. All three of these objectives are now being explored at NASA's Johnson Space Center with computer analysis and visualization tools as well as hardware tests involving the Robonaut system and a set of facilities and mockups that emulate the zero-g condition.