The anthropomorphic robot Robonaut 2 or R2, created jointly by NASA and General Motors, has no voice but has begun to communicate via Twitter using messages of 140 characters or less in which it talks about its upcoming STS-13 3 mission in the space.
In this way R2 has become the first robot to use the popular microblogging platform, sending updates from the Twitter account @AstroRobonaut. “Hello world! My name is Robonaut 2 -R2 in short,” he said a few days ago on Twitter. With the help of his team, the automaton is expected to report on mission preparations and its work aboard the International Space Station (ISS) starting in the autumn, according to NASA.
In addition, next Wednesday 5th, R2 will make some demonstrations of its operation and the public will have the first opportunity to interview him and his team through Twitter in real time. Those interested can send their questions with the hashtag # 4R2.
The first humanoid on the ISS
Next September the robot will be transferred from the Johnson Space Center, where it was created, for final tests. Liftoff aboard the Discovery space shuttle, as part of mission STS-133 , is scheduled for November.
R2 was created as the result of a joint project between NASA and General Motors that began in 2007. It is the most advanced humanoid in existence , and it will also be the first to go into orbit. In the long term, when its creators learn more about its handling in space and when improvements can be made, it could help astronauts on and off the Space Station with routine tasks or those too dangerous for humans.
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