In December 2013, 16 teams from around the world gathered at Homestead Speedway near Miami, FL to participate in the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials, an aggressive robotics competition partly inspired by the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi reactor incident. While the focus of the DRC Trials is to advance robotics for use in austere and inhospitable environments, the objectives of the DRC are to progress the areas of supervised autonomy and mobile manipulation for everyday robotics. NASA's Johnson Space Center led a team comprised of numerous partners to develop Valkyrie, NASA's first bipedal humanoid robot. Valkyrie is a 44 degree‐of‐freedom, series elastic actuator‐based robot that draws upon over 18 years of humanoid robotics design heritage. Valkyrie's application intent is aimed at not only responding to events like Fukushima, but also advancing human spaceflight endeavors in extraterrestrial planetary settings. This paper presents a brief system overview, detailing Valkyrie's mechatronic subsystems, followed by a summarization of the inverse kinematics‐based walking algorithm employed at the Trials. Next, the software and control architectures are highlighted along with a description of the operator interface tools. Finally, some closing remarks are given about the competition, and a vision of future work is provided.

Robotics engineers, ground controllers and International Space Station (ISS) crew have been running successful experiments using Robonaut 2 (R2) on-board the ISS for more than a year. This humanoid upper body robot continues to expand its list of achievements and its capabilities to safely demonstrate maintenance and servicing tasks while working alongside human crewmembers. The next phase of the ISS R2 project will transition from a stationary Intra Vehicular Activity (IVA) upper body using a power/data umbilical, to an IVA mobile system with legs for repositioning, a battery backpack power supply, and wireless communications. These upgrades will enable the R2 team to evaluate hardware performance and to develop additional control algorithms and control verification techniques with R2 inside the ISS in preparation for the Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) phase of R2 operations. As R2 becomes more capable in assisting with maintenance tasks, with minimal supervision, including repositioning itself to different work sites, the ISS crew will be burdened with fewer maintenance chores, leaving them more time to conduct other activities. R2's developers at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) are preparing the R2 IVA mobility hardware and software upgrades for delivery to the ISS in late 2013. This paper summarizes R2 ISS achievements to date, briefly describes the R2 IVA mobility upgrades, and discusses the R2 IVA mobility objectives and plans.

The purpose of the Human Exploration Telerobotics (HET) project is to demonstrate how advanced remotely operated robots can increase the performance, reduce the cost, and improve the success of human exploration missions. To do this, we are using the International Space Station (ISS) as a laboratory to test new telerobotic systems, modes of control, and operational concepts. In this paper, we first provide the context and motivation for HET. We then describe the three telerobotic systems currently used by the project, initial testing, and results to date.

In this paper, we present an overview of the NASA Human Exploration Telerobotics (HET) project. The purpose of HET is to demonstrate and assess how telerobotics can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of human exploration missions. To do this, we are developing and testing advanced robots remotely operated by ground controllers on Earth and by crew on the International Space Station. The outcome of these tests will provide insight into the requirements, benefits, limitations, costs and risks of integrating advanced telerobotics into future human missions. In addition, the engineering data acquired during these tests will inform the design of future telerobotic systems.

Robonaut, a humanoid robot, was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011. The purpose of this mission is to demonstrate the ability of a humanoid robot to assist astronauts in both IVA and EVA tasks. Various levels of supervised autonomous controls are normally employed to manage the activities of the robot. However, in some cases, controlling the robot by commanding motions that mimic the motions of a human operator, called teleoperation, is desirable. The teleoperation control method puts the human directly in the control loop to perceive and understand the robot's environment and take desired actions within the workspace of the robot. Robonaut is continuously expanding its operational envelope through continued checkout and experiments with the goal of routinely performing tasks that range from mundane (e.g. cleaning and other housekeeping tasks) to risky (e.g. EVA duty). The Robonaut Teleoperation System (RTS) has been shown to be a useful tool for handling unexpected or unique circumstances in the robot's workspace and allowing the crew to perform 'hands on' operations remotely. The paper discusses the development of the RTS including design considerations for use in space, software approach, and crew training for ISS operations. As with any system on the ISS, special considerations were made to ensure the safety of the crew, the robot, and the Space Station. Issues related to the flight certification of this system are also addressed.