A 'telehandshake' between the ISS and Earth

Although it is a simple gesture of greeting, it nevertheless remains an extraordinary moment; a handshake between an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) and researchers from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR).

Remotely controlled from the ISS, SpaceJustin, DLR's humanoid robot in Oberpfaffenhofen, acted as a proxy in these interactive pleasantries on 17 December 2015. The Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov on the ISS and Alin Albu-Schäffer, Head of the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, on Earth could see each other, converse and – thanks to force feedback – feel the pressure and movement of the handshake.

"The Kontur-2 technology experiment has allowed DLR to take another major step forward in robotics. This is the first time that we have succeeded in using a humanoid robot to implement force feedback between an astronaut orbiting the planet and a human being on Earth," emphasises Pascale Ehrenfreund, Chair of the DLR Executive Board. "The scientific results of this project will open the door to a broad spectrum of applications – ranging from planetary exploration to more 'earthly' areas in telemedicine and telepresence for people who find themselves in critical situations." In telepresence systems, robot operators use robotic avatars located a long distance away to act in their place – almost as if they were there.

Read more at www.dlr.de

Image Credit DLR