NASA’s Valkyrie robot (also referred to as R5), is a humanoid robot built by NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the University of Texas. It was originally designed for earthbound disaster relief work and participated in the 2013 DARPA Robotics Challenge. However in 2015 NASA decided to give two USA colleges a Valkyrie robots each. These robots will be part of the NASA’s upcoming Space Robotics Challenge. Divided into a virtual competition for robotic simulations and a physical competitions for the two upgraded Valkyrie robots, its aim is to create better software to produce more dexterous and autonomous humanoid space robots.
Valkyrie stands at 6 ft (1.9 m) high and weighs 290 lb (125 kg). It has an on-board power pack, a suite of sensors and cameras and is powered by lithium batteries. A modular design has been used for the robot, which means all the limbs can be easily replaced.