Robonauts are go! R2 the robot astronaut begins work on the International Space Station



R obonaut is designed to take over tasks that are dangerous for humans

Team say their robot is 'seventh crew member'



Development of the robot expected to benefit car and aerospace industries



Robonaut, the first humanoid robot in space, has begun being put through its paces on the International Space Station.

The robot, otherwise known as R2, is the seventh member of the crew of the Space Station and is undergoing rigorous testing by NASA.

Using remote commands beamed up from Earth the Robonaut was instructed to operate a set of valves on a task board.

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Robonaut was instructed remotely to operate valves using a taskboard.

Eventually it is hoped that the robot will take over the most dangerous, mundane or tricky jobs from the human crew members.

It was launched into space on the space shuttle in February 2011 and has been subjected to a series of tests to establish its spaceworthiness.

Among the skills it is being tested for is its ability to work in a vacuum or when there is heavy vibration.

Robonaut was developed by NASA with General Motors and Oceaneering Space Systems at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Its development is expected to lead to improvements and new products not just for space exploration but many other industries, including cars and aeroplanes.

Designers constructed the robot to be dexterous and to mimic the human body shape so that it can use the same controls and tools as the other crew members of the International Space Station.

It weighs 21 stones and its powerful arms are two feet eight inches long and are powerful enough to carry 20 pounds each in Earth’s gravity.