As you know, manned missions are extremely costly and not possible for certain scenarios yet. Since we've yet to send human astronauts to Mars, for instance, it might be wiser and safer for space agencies and companies to use robots to build bases where scientists or the first settlers can live. Mars is a bit too far from our planet, though, so human operators might have to control the robots from an orbiting station or a smaller base. In addition to repairs, maintenance and construction, the machines could also grow food and perform surgeries on spacefarers.

The Avatar X partners are planning to conjure up a timeline this year and to build a testing facility in Japan in 2019. They're hoping to send the technologies they develop to the ISS/Low-Earth Orbit by 2020 for further testing in space.