Some of the dirty and dangerous jobs performed by human astronauts will soon be completed by “robonauts.”
Dr. Nancy Currie, an Ohio State alumna who has flown on four space shuttle missions, delivered this message on Friday at McPherson Lab.
Currie is currently a senior technical advisor to the Automation, Robotics, and Simulation Division in the Johnson Space Center Engineering Directorate.
In the future, she said the space program will rely on astronauts and robots working together.
“Unlike a lot of robotic systems that people design to replace human beings, we specifically design the robotic systems to work side-by-side to enhance and compliment human beings in a space environment,” she said.
The main focus of research at Johnson Space Center is concentrated on developing robonauts that assist astronauts rather than eliminate the human element.
“What we’re looking to do is transfer what we call the three D’s: the dirty, the dull and the dangerous,” she said. “(We) take those tasks and give them to a robotic system.”
One of the keys to developing successful robonauts is dexterity. In other words, these robots must have many of the same simple capabilities as humans.
“We put a lot of work into hand and finger development to have the same dexterity, and the dexterity is very, very close,” Currie said.
The lecture appealed to students interested in developing robonauts.
Simon Curran, who is finishing his master’s in computer engineering, said Currie’s lecture discussed exactly what he is researching.
“It’s important we continue to investigate this idea of developing robots that mimic humans because, in a way, humans do it best,” he said.
Currie said this message is important for OSU students because this technology relies on all types of engineering, and the best experience is hands-on experience.
Whether designing the space crafts in which humans fly, the robotic systems or the space suits, Currie said it all comes down to engineering.
Emily Valandingham can be reached at [email protected].
