NEWS BRIEFS


mentation hassle-free and highly scalable. OTTO 100 uses Clearpath’s self-driving OS to provide autonomous transport for loads up to 220 lb at speeds up to 4.5 mph, while tracking along optimal paths and avoiding colli- sions. It can be configured with a lift, bin carrier, or cart and integrates directly with ERPs via the OTTO enterprise fleet management system.


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NASA robots head off to school


ASA said it hopes to eventually send its mighty R5 Valkyrie robots to Mars—but that the robots first need to go to college.


NASA is interested in humanoid robots because they


can help, or even take the place of, astronauts working in extreme space environments.


Robots could be used in future NASA missions either as


precursor robots performing mission tasks before humans arrive or as human-assistive robots actively collaborating with the human crew. The 1.8-m, 131-kg and immensely strong R5 Valkyrie


model was originally designed to complete disaster-relief maneuvers, so to get it ready for the tougher conditions of deep space, two prototypes are being sent to two uni- versities—one each to Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ogy (MIT; Cambridge, MA) and Northeastern University (Boston, MA). Each school will receive up to $250,000 per year for two years to fund research, along with technical support from NASA. The robots will not be residing in the freshman dorms— although it’s fun to imagine them at freshman mixers or in line at the cafeteria. Instead, they’ll be the subjects of research programs.


NASA R5 Valkyrie robot: Before it goes to Mars, it’s going to college.


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Spring 2016 Photo courtesy NASA


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