Robonaut 2 in Action

Still waiting, ready and eager, to launch into space and join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), Robonaut 2 decided to do something useful with its time. So, instead of surfing the channels in search of new Transformers 3 clips, it decided it would be best for the future of his race to prepare for the mission ahead.

With the help of some NASA engineers (that can be seen, as reflections, in the robot's vizor), Robonaut 2 has begun playing with a board filled with buttons and designed to mimic the ISS task board.

The tasks, simple as they may seem, are still very complicated for robots, which have to perform millions of calculations before the simple action of flipping a switch. Robonaut 2 apparently became very good at it, despite a few minor clumsy moves that can be seen in the video.

The tests Robonaut 2 is currently subjected to will probably be duplicated in space, where the effects of zero gravity on the robot's performance will be better assessed. At the same time, NASA uses the current tests to optimize the software driving the robot in light of the last space shuttle mission mankind will launch for years to come.

Dubbed STS 133, the last planned mission of the space shuttle Discovery before its retirement will launch, if everything goes according to plan, on February 24. It will carry the Robonaut to the ISS, where the effects of zero gravity, radiation and electromagnetic interference will be studied. The findings will be used by NASA for the future generation space robots and by GM, the co-developer of the robot, for future generation manufacturing machines.