Dexterous Robotics Team, NASA Johnson Space Center
NASA JSC robotics team in Houston behind Robonaut 2, flown on the ISS for seven years, and Valkyrie, NASA's first bipedal humanoid robot.
The Dexterous Robotics Team is part of the Robotic System Technology Branch at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, the branch that also develops mobility systems such as unmanned planetary rovers. The team has 16 members split into mechatronics and software subgroups and is led by Shaun Azimi. Many of its staff built NASA's humanoid robots.
Robonaut 2. The team's Robonaut 2 humanoid took part in robotics technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station for seven years.
Valkyrie. Valkyrie, described by NASA as its first bipedal humanoid robot, was designed and built by the JSC Engineering Directorate in about 15 months for the 2013 DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials and later upgraded with improved hands, a redesigned ankle and better sensors. According to NASA's fact sheet it is 6 ft 2 in tall, weighs 300 lb and has 44 degrees of freedom, all driven by series elastic actuators: a 3-DOF neck, seven joints per arm, a forearm with wrist roll and two linear wrist actuators plus six finger and thumb actuators, five rotary actuators per upper leg and two linear actuators per ankle. Perception comes from a Carnegie Robotics Multisense SL sensor (laser, passive stereo and IR structured light), fore and aft hazard cameras in the torso and two IMUs in the pelvis. Two Intel Core i7 computers handle processing, and a custom 1.8 kWh dual-voltage battery gives about one hour of operation, with wall power as an alternative. IHMC supplied walking algorithms for NASA's Space Robotics Challenge.
Current work. The team supports agency projects aimed at a sustained lunar surface presence and future Mars missions, and works with industry partners, including an oil and gas company interested in robots for harsh environments. A major focus is iMETRO, an open robotics testbed available to NASA programs and outside partners for adapting terrestrial robots to space logistics, maintenance and science tasks; PickNik Inc. used it to test software for an arm that opens a spacecraft hatch and moves cargo bags.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Valkyrie
- Model: R5
- Launch Year: 2013
NASA's first bipedal humanoid, 44 DOF with series elastic actuators, built for the 2013 DARPA Robotics Challenge.
Robonaut 2
Dexterous humanoid used for seven years of technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station.
iMETRO
Open robotics testbed for adapting terrestrial robots to space logistics, maintenance and science tasks.
More related news
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
-
11
IROS 2026 Best Paper Finalists: South Korea Leads RobotToday · Oct 07, 2026
-
12
IROS 2026 Category Award Finalists: All 22 Papers RobotToday · Oct 07, 2026
-
13
IROS 2026 Closing Briefing — Pittsburgh, Sep 27–Oct 1 RobotToday · Oct 03, 2026
-
14
China’s Dexterous Hand Industry, 2026 Part 3 — The Players RobotToday · Sep 06, 2026
-
15
ROBOTTODAY Weekly July 20 – 24, 2026 RobotToday · Jul 25, 2026
-
16
XELA Robotics Launches Next-Gen Tactile Sensors at Automate 2026 RobotToday · Jun 25, 2026
-
17
Digital Twin, Physical AI & Robot OEM Readiness 2026: Platforms, VLA Models, LLM Programming RobotToday · Jun 11, 2026
-
18
Vietnam Robotics Industry Report 2026 RobotToday · Jun 09, 2026
-
19
ROBOTTODAY WEEKLY May 4 - 8, 2026 RobotToday · May 09, 2026
-
20
China vs. The World: A Space Robotics Competitive Analysis RobotToday · Mar 18, 2026
Contact Dexterous Robotics Team, NASA Johnson Space Center
WEBSITE
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/reliable-robots-meet-johnsons-dexterous-robotics-team/HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
-
Primary Role
Research Institute
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Grant / Non-profit
Funding Total
-
