<p>The three-foot-four-inch tall Robonaut 2 will become the seventh crew member on board the next Discovery shuttle launch.<br /><br />NASA will send Robonaut or R2 to permanently reside on the International Space Station later this year. He will become the first humanoid robot in space, reports the Daily Mail.<br /><br />NASA and General Motors jointly developed R2 as a robotic assistant that can help human astronauts in space.<br /><br />The 127-kg R2 comprises a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. It will be used for microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology.<br /><br />Its powerful arms are two feet eight inches long and are powerful enough to carry 20 pounds each in Earth's gravity.<br /><br />But the robot's fingers are also extremely sensitive and allow R2 to operate machinery with almost the same dexterity as a human astronaut.<br /><br />R2 will launch on space shuttle Discovery as part of a mission planned for Nov 1. Once aboard the station, engineers will monitor how the robot operates in weightlessness. <br /><br />The dexterous robot not only looks like a human but also is designed to work like one. With human-like hands and arms, R2 is able to use the same tools station crew members use.<br /><br />It will also keep people back on Earth up to date with its adventures with its very own Twitter account.</p>
<p>The three-foot-four-inch tall Robonaut 2 will become the seventh crew member on board the next Discovery shuttle launch.<br /><br />NASA will send Robonaut or R2 to permanently reside on the International Space Station later this year. He will become the first humanoid robot in space, reports the Daily Mail.<br /><br />NASA and General Motors jointly developed R2 as a robotic assistant that can help human astronauts in space.<br /><br />The 127-kg R2 comprises a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. It will be used for microgravity experiments in fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology.<br /><br />Its powerful arms are two feet eight inches long and are powerful enough to carry 20 pounds each in Earth's gravity.<br /><br />But the robot's fingers are also extremely sensitive and allow R2 to operate machinery with almost the same dexterity as a human astronaut.<br /><br />R2 will launch on space shuttle Discovery as part of a mission planned for Nov 1. Once aboard the station, engineers will monitor how the robot operates in weightlessness. <br /><br />The dexterous robot not only looks like a human but also is designed to work like one. With human-like hands and arms, R2 is able to use the same tools station crew members use.<br /><br />It will also keep people back on Earth up to date with its adventures with its very own Twitter account.</p>