NASA has outsourced work on Valkyrie to Northeastern University, MIT, and the University of Edinburgh, each of whom now has its very own Valkyrie to work with for the next two years. The three institutions will develop software that enables the robots to consistently and successfully complete tasks necessary to space exploration, such as manipulating airlock hatches, attaching and removing power cables, repairing equipment, and retrieving samples.
The schools will demonstrate their work at the upcoming Space Robotics Challenge, where the winner gets $250,000 and continued support from NASA. Valkyrie has already received significant upgrades, and now it can do something essential to space travel: dance.
