Robonauts, a good idea?

What if we replaced human astronauts with anthropomorphic machines ‘robonauts’ in space exploration parlance and relied completely upon these electronic surrogates to probe, and possibly even colonize, the cosmos?

Robonauts are getting a lot of attention lately, thanks to R2, the humanoid ‘robonaut’ developed by NASA to work as a helper to human astronauts, who flew as cargo on the shuttle Discovery’s final mission to visit the International Space Station.

R2 is a peculiar-looking contraption. Imagine the top half of one of the Power Rangers mounted on a fixed platform inside the space station. Eventually, though, plans call for adding a single leg so that the robot can climb around inside the craft’s confines, and a future versions may be affixed to a tractor-like vehicle to enable them to roam the landscapes of planets and moons.

At a time when the space program seems to be in its doldrums, a lot of people are excited about the idea of a mechanical space traveller. The Los Angeles Times reports that when President Obama spoke to the Discovery astronauts, he asked: “I understand that you guys have a new crew member, this R2 robot... Are you guys making him do chores up there?” The anthropomorphic machine even has its own Facebook page.

Some, in fact, have grumbled that the robonaut is getting too much hype. NASA has put dozens of robots into space, and had them perform amazingly complex missions both remotely operated and autonomously. Why should this one get all the press simply because its shape is humanoid?

And the things that are being discussed Robonaut helping astronauts perform repairs in space, being paired with humans for long range space missions, being set loose on Mars these things are years, if not decades, away from being achieved. Robonaut is being sent into space simply so it can be tested to make sure it works in the new environment.

Although it is true that R2 does not have anywhere near the capabilities and versatility of a human astronaut, with the rapid progress that we are seeing in AI research and robotics, vastly more sophisticated robonauts are going to come along sooner rather than later.

And in the long run, as we contemplate lengthy interplanetary missions, the reality is that robots are much better suited for protracted expeditions than the most robust astronaut. They do not need the carefully maintained artificial atmosphere that humans need, and they do not have muscles and bones that weaken from a low-gravity environment. Most important, we can send them to distant, inhospitable places without worrying about getting them back home safely.

NASA historian Roger D Launius and American University scholar Howard E McCurdy noted in their 2008 book, Robots in Space: Technology, Evolution and Interplanetary Travel, that there are five major reasons humans seek to explore space: scientific discovery, commercial applications, national security, geopolitical prestige and survival of the species. Only the last of these requires humans to venture into space. And in this era of the Tea Party and budget austerity, remember that at $ 2.5 million apiece, an R2 would likely cost a lot less than what it would require to train and equip a human astronaut. And robots probably are not entitled to collective bargaining rights.

The big problem is that using robots to explore space while humans stay home is going to be a big psychological and existential letdown for our species. Since the second century, when Lucian imagined flying in a ship to a city in the sky and looking down at the Earth in his A True Story, people have envisioned space exploration as an endeavour that required intrepid human adventurers.

During the 1960s space race, we celebrated the Mercury astronauts as the epitome of physical and mental perfection and ability - even if, in truth, they were mostly along for the ride. And the first Star Wars movie probably would have been a box-office flop if R2D2 had been the protagonist instead of Luke Skywalker.

That is why one would argue that, at least in the short term, anthropomorphic robots such as R2 could be important, because they will help lessen the disappointment and disillusionment of having John Glenn and Neil Armstrong replaced by machines. R2 may be a fairly primitive robonaut compared to what we will have in a few years, but it is state of the art in cuteness and charisma. One could imagine R2 on Wheaties boxes, or even endorsing Tang. In time, the public might even come to view it as a hero of sorts - tough, stoic, relentless in it quest to boldly go where no robot has ever gone before.

Discovery Science