Curacao
Island in the Caribbean.
By Alan Taub
GM Global Research and Development Vice President
I remember back in 1969 when Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon and made the legendary statement, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Today, GM is working with NASA to take another step – in the development of the next generation of robots and related technologies that will be used for both the automotive and aerospace industries. And, while this may seem like a small step to you, it’s a huge step for GM.
Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, GM and NASA built a new dexterous humanoid robot called Robonaut2, or R2 for those of you who like acronyms. It’s the next iteration of Robonaut. Basically, the dexterous humanoid robot is a human-like robot capable of using its hands and fingers to do work – work that a human for one reason or another cannot accomplish alone. For example, robots can work in small or awkward crevices where a person cannot reach. A robot can also apply more force to an object from angles that humans physically cannot. These benefits help eliminate health and safety risks to humans, while helping GM achieve its vision of designing, building and selling the world’s best vehicles.
Let me be very clear – GM does not aim to eliminate people out of the automated system, but rather to integrate the robots where one is deemed crucial to the success of a vehicle’s manufacturing process. Our engineers worked with NASA engineers at the Johnson Space Center to build R2 with the goals of being able to use robots to help create safer cars and manufacturing plants and to assist NASA astronauts on dangerous space missions.
It’s really thrilling to think about the possibilities that this new endeavor brings not only NASA and GM, but also to our country’s ability to have the best scientists and engineers leading the world in advanced robotics technologies.
What all this means is that we are moving closer to a manufacturing world where humans and robots work side-by-side harmoniously to create the highest quality of products – and not only in the automotive and aerospace world, but also for other industries such as clean room technology, pharmaceutical manufacturing and electronics. We’re also actively looking to use this technology as we work toward advanced vehicle safety systems.
While this is a strategic business initiative for GM, I am personally excited to be working with rocket scientists – and who doesn’t want the chance to work with rocket scientists?
GM Global Research and Development Vice President
I remember back in 1969 when Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon and made the legendary statement, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Today, GM is working with NASA to take another step – in the development of the next generation of robots and related technologies that will be used for both the automotive and aerospace industries. And, while this may seem like a small step to you, it’s a huge step for GM.
Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, GM and NASA built a new dexterous humanoid robot called Robonaut2, or R2 for those of you who like acronyms. It’s the next iteration of Robonaut. Basically, the dexterous humanoid robot is a human-like robot capable of using its hands and fingers to do work – work that a human for one reason or another cannot accomplish alone. For example, robots can work in small or awkward crevices where a person cannot reach. A robot can also apply more force to an object from angles that humans physically cannot. These benefits help eliminate health and safety risks to humans, while helping GM achieve its vision of designing, building and selling the world’s best vehicles.
Let me be very clear – GM does not aim to eliminate people out of the automated system, but rather to integrate the robots where one is deemed crucial to the success of a vehicle’s manufacturing process. Our engineers worked with NASA engineers at the Johnson Space Center to build R2 with the goals of being able to use robots to help create safer cars and manufacturing plants and to assist NASA astronauts on dangerous space missions.
It’s really thrilling to think about the possibilities that this new endeavor brings not only NASA and GM, but also to our country’s ability to have the best scientists and engineers leading the world in advanced robotics technologies.
What all this means is that we are moving closer to a manufacturing world where humans and robots work side-by-side harmoniously to create the highest quality of products – and not only in the automotive and aerospace world, but also for other industries such as clean room technology, pharmaceutical manufacturing and electronics. We’re also actively looking to use this technology as we work toward advanced vehicle safety systems.
While this is a strategic business initiative for GM, I am personally excited to be working with rocket scientists – and who doesn’t want the chance to work with rocket scientists?
