Robot Ready for space! Dextre
March 10th, 2008 | by Undertecher |
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Now when we travel to space, we can bring friends. Well not really a friend but a cool robot called Dextre. Canadian Space Agency’s Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, aka “Dextre,” is scheduled to be installed by Endeavour astronauts to the ISS later this week. Dextre was built to do maintenance tasks that were previously done during long and sometimes dangerous space walks. This Canadian vistor will be traveling with astronauts on the space shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station (ISS). Dextre is the third and final stage to the Mobile Servicing System and works with the Canadaarm2 which was installed on the ISS in 2001 and the mobile base which was installed in 2002.
Dextre has two identical 11.5-foot arms with seven joints each. The body can pivot at the waist and is equipped with lights, video equipment, a stowage platform, and four robotic tools. Jaws at the end of each arm allow Dextre to grab on to objects so that humans dont have to :). It has a retractable motorized socket wrench to connect or detach objects. Dextre also has sensors which can be used to give it a “gentle touch” when needed. Dextre can either be attached to the end of Canadarm2 or ride independently on the mobile base system.
Man, soon we can send robots to space instead of our own people. This is just one step closer to that idea 
Read more about Dextre Here!
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