Robonaut's controls are straight out of popular science fiction. The controller wears a pair of stereoscopic goggles which display whatever Robonaut's camera eyes see, and wears a sensor-filled glove to control the hand and arm. Just moving the glove tells Robonaut how far to extend its arms or twist its wrist. Once the technology is refined, the glove will provide a sense of touch to the operator, Ambrose says. So far, operators have only their eyes to guide a hand that has about half the dexterity of a human hand.
Engineers measure dexterity by degrees of freedom.
Though it was built with parts already rated to withstand the rigors of space travel, Robonaut won't see orbit for at least five years, Ambrose says. In space, Robonaut could prepare exterior worksites for astronauts, saving valuable spacewalk time for more important tasks. Ambrose envisions such an application for future planetary exploration missions. On Earth, Robonaut could be used in the hazardous conditions found in nuclear plants or petroleum refineries, and NASA says prosthetic makers have expressed interest in the hand. But Ambrose's goal is less specific.