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Robots in Space and Research
Robots play an important role in space and research programmes. Robots are sent to space because
sending a robot in space is much cheaper than sending a human. They don’t need to eat or sleep.
Hence, they can work for long hours and they can survive in space for many years and can be left
out there for further research. Robots can do a lot of things that human can’t. Some can withstand
harsh conditions, like extreme temperatures or high levels of radiation.Some of the very successful
NASA’s robots are:
Mars Rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity.
A-PUFFER, which is short form for Autonomous
Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robot, is capable of
flattening itself out and duck down to investigate tight
spots.
The BRUIE robot can float on the water and roll its wheel
along the underside of an icy surface while taking pictures
and collecting data. This would be used in future to search
sign of life on icy bodies elsewhere in the solar system.
Toy Robots
Robotic toys, such as Furby, have been popular since 1998. There are also small humanoid remote-
controlled robots as well as electronic pets, such as robotic dogs. These robots combine sensors,
computation and motors to interact intelligently with their environment.
Lego and Furby were educational robots introduced in 1998.
Furby was inexpensive, stand-alone and interactive toy. It
had multiple sensory movements (light, touch, sound, etc.)
More than 12 million Furbys were sold in one year.
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