Boston-Power Inc.’s rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have powered notebook computers and experimental electric vehicles. But its newest project looks like a cross between Buzz Lightyear and RoboCop and could help NASA in its next phase of space exploration.
NASA calls the humanoid robot now being developed Robonaut 2 — or R2 — and plans to have it ready for its Project M, a lunar mission now in the planning stage. NASA selected Boston-Power’s Swing battery technology to power R2 because of its high energy density and lightweight, extended battery life and its use of environmentally friendly materials, said Nic A. Radford, chief electrical engineer and deputy project manager for Project M.
With NASA’s space shuttle program coming to a close, the agency is focusing on missions to the moon and possibly Mars, and is seeking funding as it puts a proposal for Project M together. A significant part of the project will be development of R2, which will walk upright and have some of the manual dexterity of a human, he said.
“The benefits are clear,” Mr. Radford said. “We’re building humanoid robots to help people do their job. We’ve been dropping wheeled vehicles on planets for years. A humanoid robot has to fully occupy the space of a human, inside and out. They need to be truly part of what we do, to go where we go.
“It will be an engineering accomplishment. Not many understand humanoid technology. NASA will come out with technology that can be used here on terra firma.”
R2 is being developed jointly by NASA and General Motors to support astronauts working in dangerous environments and on repetitious tasks, NASA said. The robot is expected to be capable of performing a wide range of human skills and motions in a wide temperature range.
Boston-Power is developing a 2.5 kilowatt-hour energy storage system for R2 that will include its Swing cells as well as a battery management system, said Sally J. Bament, vice president of marketing for Boston-Power. She said Boston-Power is not under contract with NASA, but working with the space agency under the so-called Space Agreement Act, in which the space agency partners with private companies in research.
“We have an agreement to develop an advanced battery system for a humanoid robot,” she said. “NASA will run tests to make sure it’s suitable for the mission. If it works out, we will be the sole source providers for the mission.”
She said the company’s battery technology is similar to that being used in Hewlett-Packard Co. and ASUS notebook computers, and by Saab in its hybrid car development. The key to the R2 battery pack is that it has to weigh less than 45 pounds and be worn like a backpack on the robot.
“We’re packing a lot of energy density into a small space. That’s why NASA is considering this,” she said.
Mr. Radford of NASA said the program is not a done deal, and there is still work to be done on perfecting a suitable battery.
“This is not without risk,” he said. “We think we can build this into a space battery. We can’t call Energizer or Panasonic and get this result. This is an agile company. They (Boston-Power) have superior lithium battery chemistry right now.
“… Once the technology is mature enough there will be other uses. We are like Robert Goddard lighting rockets in the yard, but heading toward Project Apollo. This will hit a tipping point, and then snowball. Robots like this could be used for hazardous waste cleanup, work in nuclear facilities, bomb disposal. There has already been a call for underwater humanoids.”
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