28-Aug-2019: FEDOR the robot

The humanoid robot Fedor, the first from Russia sent into orbit, reached the International Space Station. Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research(FEDOR) can be operated manually by ISS astronauts wearing robotic exoskeleton suits. The robot mirrors their movements.

Fedor stands 180 cm tall and weighs 160 kg. It copies human movements, which will enable it to perform tasks that are risky for astronauts strapped onto an exoskeleton.

Fedor has his own Instagram and Twitter accounts. He was sent in an unmanned Soyuz capsule. Fedor, who will copy human movements, will help with high-risk tasks at the ISS until September 7, when he is scheduled to return. Fedor could help in tests on Russia’s new manned transport ship under development, the Federatsiya, or a spacewalk to work on the outside of the ISS.

While Fedor is Russia’s first robot in space, other countries have previously sent theirs. In 2011, NASA sent up Robonaut 2, a humanoid developed with General Motors that had a similar aim of working in high-risk environments. Robonaut 2 was flown back to Earth in 2018 after experiencing technical problems. In 2013, Japan sent up a small robot called Kirobo, developed with Toyota. It was able to hold conversations in Japanese.

Soyuz capsules are normally manned, but this time no humans were travelling in order to test a new emergency rescue system. The spacecraft blasted off last Thursday from a Russian spaceport in southern Kazakhstan, with Fedor in the commander’s seat. The robot was heard saying “Let’s go. Let’s go,” during the launch, repeating the phrase used by the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin.

The ship was carrying scientific and medical equipment, and components for the space station’s life-support system, as well as food, medicines and personal hygiene products for crew members.