NASA Selects Advanced Robotics Projects for Development

Sept. 14, 2012

David E. Steitz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1730
david.steitz@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 12-323

NASA SELECTS ADVANCED ROBOTICS PROJECTS FOR DEVELOPMENT

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected eight advanced robotics projects that
will enable the agency's future missions while supporting the Obama
administration's National Robotics Initiative.

The projects, ranging from technologies for improving robotic
planetary rovers to humanoid robotic systems, will support the
development and use of robots for space exploration, as well as by
manufacturers and businesses in the United States.

Robots can work beside, or cooperatively, with people to enhance
individual human capabilities, performance and safety in space as
well as here on Earth. Co-robotics, where robots work cooperatively
with people to enhance their individual human capabilities,
performance and safety, is a valuable tool for maintaining American
leadership in aerospace technology and advanced manufacturing.

"Robonaut, NASA's robotic crewmember aboard the International Space
Station, is being tested to perform tasks to assist our astronauts
and free them up to do the important scientific research and complex
engineering taking place each day on our orbiting national lab," said
NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck at NASA Headquarters in
Washington. "Selected through our participation in the National
Robotics Initiative, these new projects will support NASA as we plan
for our asteroid mission in 2025 and the human exploration of Mars
around 2035."

The proposals NASA has selected for development are:
-- "Toward Human Avatar Robots for Co-Exploration of Hazardous
Environments," J. Pratt, principal investigator, Florida Institute of
Human Machine Cognition, Pensacola
-- "A Novel Powered Leg Prosthesis Simulator for Sensing and Control
Development," H. Herr, principal investigator, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge
-- "Long-range Prediction of Non-Geometric Terrain Hazards for
Reliable Planetary Rover Traverse," R. Whittaker, principal
investigator, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
-- "Active Skins for Simplified Tactile Feedback in Robotics," S.
Bergbreiter, principal investigator, University of Maryland, College
Park
-- "Actuators for Safe, Strong and Efficient Humanoid Robots," S.
Pekarek, principal investigator, Purdue University
-- "Whole-body Telemanipulation of the Dreamer Humanoid Robot on Rough
Terrains Using Hand Exoskeleton (EXODREAM)," L. Sentis, principal
investigator, University of Texas at Austin
-- "Long, Thin Continuum Robots for Space Applications," I. Walker,
principal investigator, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
-- "Manipulating Flexible Materials Using Sparse Coding," R. Platt,
principal investigator, State University of New York, Buffalo

The National Science Foundation (NSF) managed the solicitation and
peer review selection process for these NASA awards. Awards range
from $150,000 to $1 million, with a total NASA investment of $2.7
million.

NASA has a long history of developing cutting-edge robotic systems for
use in space exploration. NASA also partners with American
businesses, universities and other federal agencies to transfer those
technologies back into the nation's industrial base, improving
manufacturing capabilities and economic competitiveness.

Recently, tremendous advances in robotics technology have enabled a
new generation of assistive systems and devices in industries as
diverse as manufacturing, logistics, medicine, health care, military,
agriculture, and consumer products.

As part of the National Robotics Initiative, NSF, NASA, the National
Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have
managed a joint solicitation, seeking to engage our next generation
of roboticists for the new global technology economy. All
participating federal agencies are working with partners to foster
the exchange of ideas and technologies that will directly benefit
American today and well into the future.

The purpose of the initiative is to encourage innovative collaborative
research that combines computer and systems science with mechanical,
electrical and materials engineering and social, behavioral and
economic sciences. The resulting research will tackle the most
important and challenging problems in producing this class of
human-assisting co-robotics.

NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist and the Space Technology
Program lead the agency's participation in the National Robotics
Initiative. NASA's Space Technology Program is dedicated to
innovating, developing, testing, and flying hardware for use in
NASA's future science and exploration missions. NASA's technology
investments provide cutting-edge solutions for our nation's future.

For more information about NASA's participation in the National
Robotics Initiative, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/robotics

For more information about NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


-end-



To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov