8 Crazy Futuristic Science Experiments Happening Right Now

3. Robonaut

Despite sounding like some kind of Robocop sequel, the Robonaut is an actual ongoing project by NASA, to develop a robot colleage for the astronauts aboard the ISS.

Robonaut is a humanoid robot that can think for itself, dexterously handle tools and carry out tasks that would otherwise be carried out by the human crew members. The idea is that it will eventually be able to perform space walks and work alongside the humans as another crew member.

Robonaut can see, think and follow orders. It even tweets.

One of the major challenges is making sure that it can function in the weightless environment of the space station. So much of the research into robots so far has been in an attempt to find a way to make them walk like us, but allowing them to move about in zero-G is completely new ground.