Humanoid robots have come a long way in recent years, with various companies pushing the boundaries of what these machines are capable of achieving. And now, NASA has teamed up with Apptronik, a Texas-based startup, to develop a humanoid robot called Apollo that could one day be used on missions to the moon and Mars.
While there are no current plans to send Apollo to space, the space agency hopes that developing humanoid robots will help pave the way for robotic space exploration. Apollo has been designed to have the same footprint as a human and be able to use the same tools that humans use, making it a useful addition to any space mission.
CEO Jeff Cardenas from Apptronik explains that the whole world has been designed for the human form, so having a robot that can fit in the same places and use the same tools as humans is incredibly beneficial. With this in mind, the team at Apptronik has worked hard to develop a robot that is both efficient and versatile in its movements.
While there aren’t any official images of Apollo yet, Apptronik has released several videos showcasing some of its prototype robots, which ultimately helped lead to Apollo’s design. With humanoid robots like Apollo, we could potentially explore parts of the universe that would be too dangerous or inaccessible for humans to reach.