Drawing parallels to Iron Man, Valkyrie represents a metallic and electronic adaptation engineered for versatile functions mimicking human capabilities, yet devoid of humans inside.
Hosted on 'Houston, we have a podcast,' NASA's platform, Valkyrie's nomenclature draws from Norse mythology. It is designed to navigate "degraded or damaged environments shaped by humans," including areas impacted by natural calamities.
Valkyrie's appearance showcases its powerlessness, standing at 188 centimeters tall and weighing 136 kilograms.
Evan Laske, the Deputy Director for the Right-Handed Robots Team at NASA's Johnson Space Center, detailed in the podcast Valkyrie's origin tied to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. This initiative emerged as a response to the Fukushima disaster caused by the Japan tsunami.
The DARPA Robotics Challenge, orchestrated by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), sought to address challenges in response to human-made or natural disasters. Its aim was to foster autonomous robots capable of complex tasks in hazardous environments.
Laske shared, "They created this challenge around 2013, I can't remember the exact year. Valkyrie was essentially our participant in that. We designed and built her approximately in the current form within 12 to 18 months. That encompassed all the hardware, system design, and the software."
Human-Like Movements
Laske mentioned that Valkyrie is primarily controlled through a virtual reality visor. "The exciting part now is, you put on this virtual reality headset, you have your hand controllers, and you see through its eyes. Being humanoid, this is one of its advantages. We all understand how a human is supposed to move. So, it makes teleoperating much more manageable," the Deputy Head elaborated.
Valkyrie Venturing Into Space
Shaun Azimi, leading NASA's right-handed robotics team, noted that humanoid robots could assist in space, undertaking hazardous tasks such as cleaning solar panels or inspecting malfunctioning equipment outside the spacecraft.
This approach aims to afford astronauts more time to explore and discover new frontiers.
Azimi clarified, "We're not trying to replace human crews, we're actually just trying to take away the dull, dirty, and dangerous work from them to allow them to focus on those higher-level activities."
In fact, the U.S. space agency is partnering with robotics firms like Apptronik, based in Austin, Texas, to explore how terrestrial humanoid robots could benefit future space missions.
Apptronik is working on Apollo, a humanoid robot tailored for warehouse and factory duties, including logistics and material management tasks.
Jeff Cárdenas, CEO of Apptronik, mentioned that their robot's capabilities are ever-improving with new software and developments, expanding from warehouse operations to diverse environments.
In the forthcoming years, these "unstructured spaces" could encompass outer space, according to Azimi.
Azimi affirmed, "Robots like Apollo are designed with modularity to adapt to various applications." He emphasized NASA's endeavor to bridge terrestrial systems into space environments and secure certification for space operations.
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