It is difficult to say exactly when early spacecraft evolved from simple automatons to robot explorers or ROVs. Even the earliest and simplest spacecraft operated with some preprogrammed functions monitored closely from Earth. One of the best known ROV's is the Sojourner rover that was deployed by the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft. Several NASA centers are involved in developing planetary explorers , robotic technology , and space-based robots . The most common type of existing robotic device is the robot arm often used in industry and manufacturing.
Robot arms are of two types.
One is computer-operated and programmed for a specific function. The other requires a human to actually control the strength and movement of the arm to perform the task. Log your observations in your journal. Discuss your observations with your team.