It would appear we have come very long way from the days of Robbie the Robot. NASA and General Motors have developed R2, who appears to be more like a Star Wars Bounty Hunter than a small beeping triped.
Robonaut 2, or R2 for short has flown into history as the first humanoid robot to be sent into space. Quoting from Michio Kaku, " R2 is designed to help astronauts perform tedious and dangerous missions. It's designed so that it will eventually be able to vacuum air filters, do space walks, flip switches, and go into dangerous toxic environments."
In the early 21st Century this is a first step towards the complex androids in the world of Star Trek and Star Wars. But look how far robotics has developed in the last 25 years.
R2 may be considered the disposable robot designed for one-way missions, for example to the moon.
Heading towards the final frontier has a price-tag. That said, the advantage of R2 is that you can accomodate off-the-shelf technology to put a robot quickly on the moon.
Michio also adds in his report, "Moon rockets these days are not so expensive; putting R2 on the moon can be done with half a billion dollars, which is pocket change compared to the price tag of a manned mission to the moon: $150 billion."
Will this ignite excitement of space travel and possibilities for the next generation? Consider what is possible in the next 25 years.
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