25-10-2012, 04:19 PM
Securing Safety with Sensors
ABSTRACT
The Robot Systems Technology Branch at NASA’s Johnson Space Center collaborated with the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency to design Robonaut, a humanoid robot developed to assist astronauts with Extra Vehicular Activities
(EVA) such as space structure assembly and repair operations. By working side-by-side with astronauts or going where risks
are too great for people, Robonaut is expected to expand the Space Agency s ability for construction and discovery. NASA
engineers equipped Robonaut with human-looking, dexterous hands complete with five fingers to accomplish its tasks. The
Robonaut hand is one of the first being developed for space EVA use and is the closest in size and capability to a suited
astronaut s hand. As part of the development process, an advanced sensor system was needed to provide an improved method
to measure the movement and forces exerted by Robonaut s forearms and hands.