NASA's Robonaut 2 Can't Use Its Space Legs Upgrade 58

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday January 06, 2015 @04:48PM from the safety-mechanism-to-prevent-it-from-killing-all-humans dept.

BarbaraHudson writes: Robonaut 2, now in orbit on board the International Space Station, has run into problems with the software controlling its new legs. From the article: "The machine ran into a few technical errors. According to NASA, the ground teams deployed Robonaut's software and received telemetry from the robot, but were unable to obtain the correct commands for the leg movement, which are vital to performing every day tasks aboard the International Space Station. Ground teams have begun assessing how to move forward with this issue, though it is unclear if they currently have a fix in mind."

NASA's Robonaut 2 Can't Use Its Space Legs Upgrade

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- Re: (Score:1)
  
  by davester666 ( 731373 ) writes:
  
  Should have hired Canada to make it!
Tech Support: (Score:2)

by Tablizer ( 95088 ) writes:

"We can fix it, but it's gonna cost you an arm and a leg."
- Re: (Score:3)
  
  by Virtucon ( 127420 ) writes:
  
  "Have you tried turning off and back on?"
  - Re: (Score:1)
    
    by Tablizer ( 95088 ) writes:
    
    Tech-support tells the astronauts to "re-boot" the legs, and they put a new set of boots on it.
- Re: (Score:3, Funny)
  
  by product_bucket ( 3503967 ) writes:
  
  /dev/ttyACM0 not found This program requires root priveliges to access legs. unable to run... using lateral undulation instead
Sad. (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward writes:

Will they have to shoot it?
- V.I.N.C.E.N.T. didn't need legs! (Score:2)
  
  by Thud457 ( 234763 ) writes:
  
  What's a space-robot need freakin' legs for?
  Piece of junk, throw 'im in a Black Hole!
  - Re: (Score:2)
    
    by tepples ( 727027 ) writes:
    
    What's a space-robot need freakin' legs for?
    That's what I was thinking. If they can't get the legs working, it should still be possible to do science, pitch a tent [youtube.com], do gymnastics [youtube.com], swing like Spider-Man [youtube.com]...
  - Re: (Score:2)
    
    by cusco ( 717999 ) writes:
    
    What I want to know is when it changed from being "in orbit" to being "on orbit" and why? You can certainly be in a certain orbit, but AFAIK it's impossible to be on an orbit. For some bizarre reason the latter has become more popular the last few years.
Yeah, so? (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward writes:

Toss it out the airlock and 3D print a new one!
Wadda ya got up there, Luddites?
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) * writes:
  
  Toss it out the airlock and 3D print a new one!
  Give a hoot, don't pollute LEO.
Fix/rewrite the software? (Score:3)

by TWX ( 665546 ) writes: on Tuesday January 06, 2015 @05:06PM (#48749925)

Wouldn't it simply be a matter of fixing or rewriting the software for the legs?

Worst case, if somehow the wiring for the legs is wrong, the astronauts should have some complex device, called a multimeter, to figure out how the legs ARE wired, if it comes down to that.

- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by BarbaraHudson ( 3785311 ) writes:
  
  Or maybe they should remove the legs and re-install them. They were originally installed by astronauts in the space station - maybe someone made a mistake? Or some thin flexible printed wiring (like used to connect the laptop keyboard to the motherboard) broke.
  - - Re: (Score:2)
      
      by radtea ( 464814 ) writes:
      
      I'm a deaf person in a hearing person's body and a myopic person's body. There are technological fixes for those things, and I apply them. I don't see why other people with different problems than mine shouldn't apply technological fixes to their issues.
      But of course there are always going to be those who scream "FOUR EYES" and otherwise bully the kid with glasses, or hearing aids, or is otherwise using technology to help them be functional and happy in this crazy old world.
      Unfortunately, we don't have a te
Does Robonaut not have a backup? (Score:2)

by Virtucon ( 127420 ) writes:

Go back to version 1.0 Firmware? No?
- Re:Does Robonaut not have a backup? (Score:5, Insightful)
  
  by neo-mkrey ( 948389 ) writes: on Tuesday January 06, 2015 @05:09PM (#48749977)
  
  Never trust Version 1.0 of anything.
  
  - Re: (Score:3)
    
    by Virtucon ( 127420 ) writes:
    
    I can't remember. Does that version have the "Kill all humans" command built-in?
    - Re:Does Robonaut not have a backup? (Score:4, Funny)
      
      by BarbaraHudson ( 3785311 ) writes: <barbara.jane.hud ... minus physicist> on Tuesday January 06, 2015 @05:45PM (#48750267) Journal
      
      I can't remember. Does that version have the "Kill all humans" command built-in?
      Hard to tell - we can't seem to locate any of the coders who wrote it.
      
Lieutenant Robonaut (Score:3)

by stimpleton ( 732392 ) writes: on Tuesday January 06, 2015 @05:25PM (#48750101)

Robonaut, you got new legs!

Telemetry from Robonaut says: (Score:1)

by nytes ( 231372 ) writes:

"Doc, I can't feel my legs!"
We can rebuild him... (Score:2)

by Gravis Zero ( 934156 ) writes:

We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better...stronger...faster. Wait, only six million? He already costs 17 million and his legs don't even work! Budget cuts?! FORGET IT! PROJECT OVER! *flips table over*
btw, to date his full cost is in fact $17 million.
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by R3d M3rcury ( 871886 ) writes:
  
  Well, at least it's less than $6 billion. [theverge.com]
Daddy! I can't feel my legs! (Score:2)

by Irate Engineer ( 2814313 ) writes:

Shouldn't have skimped on the code.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2XvxDaIwCw [youtube.com]
I've seen this a million times. (Score:1)

by Drunkulus ( 920976 ) writes:

It's a Ruby app running on Ubuntu, and Puppet overwrote the new configs.
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by tepples ( 727027 ) writes:
  
  Then perhaps you need to install Real Boy instead of Puppet.
WTF? (Score:2)

by SuperDre ( 982372 ) writes:

How can such a blunder even happen? They did test it rigorously on an identical robot here on earth, or is that something they just completely forgot...
This is something that should just never have happened.. what kind of amateurs are they..
Wide Eyed and Legless... (Score:2)

by advocate_one ( 662832 ) writes:

I've gone and done it again... [youtube.com]
Help! I've fallen and I can't get up! (Score:2)

by smooth wombat ( 796938 ) writes:

Oh wait, this is space.
Never mind.
A kick and a curse... (Score:2)

by courcoul ( 801052 ) writes:

Bang on it with a crescent wrench....
Solved the problem in Armageddon, didn't it?
Typo (Score:2)

by azav ( 469988 ) writes:

It's everyday* tasks, not every day tasks.
Everyday is an adjective meaning commonplace.

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NASA's Robonaut 2 Can't Use Its Space Legs Upgrade 58

NASA's Robonaut 2 Can't Use Its Space Legs Upgrade More Login

NASA's Robonaut 2 Can't Use Its Space Legs Upgrade

Re: (Score:1)

Tech Support: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:3)

Re: (Score:1)

Re: (Score:3, Funny)

Sad. (Score:1)

V.I.N.C.E.N.T. didn't need legs! (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Yeah, so? (Score:1)

Re: (Score:2)

Fix/rewrite the software? (Score:3)

Re: (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Does Robonaut not have a backup? (Score:2)

Re:Does Robonaut not have a backup? (Score:5, Insightful)

Re: (Score:3)

Re:Does Robonaut not have a backup? (Score:4, Funny)

Lieutenant Robonaut (Score:3)

Telemetry from Robonaut says: (Score:1)

We can rebuild him... (Score:2)

Re: (Score:2)

Daddy! I can't feel my legs! (Score:2)

I've seen this a million times. (Score:1)

Re: (Score:2)

WTF? (Score:2)

Wide Eyed and Legless... (Score:2)

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up! (Score:2)

A kick and a curse... (Score:2)

Typo (Score:2)

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