NASA’s humanoid robot, Valkyrie, has begun extensive testing in Australia after being transported from its home base at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This testing initiative is part of a Space Act Agreement with Woodside Energy in Perth, Western Australia, as announced in a press release by NASA on Thursday.

Woodside Energy will evaluate the robot’s software and provide valuable data and feedback to NASA, particularly in the development of remote mobile dexterous manipulation capabilities for unmanned and offshore energy facilities. This collaboration aims to enhance operational efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability for Woodside Energy’s offshore operations. The advancements made may also find applications in NASA’s Artemis missions and other Earth-based robotic objectives.

NASA anticipates that the tests conducted at Woodside’s facilities will contribute to the design of robots capable of operating in challenging and hazardous environments, such as those encountered on the Moon and other planets. The robot’s tasks will include inspecting and maintaining infrastructure and plants that utilize resources to produce new items, potentially enabling future astronauts to sustainably utilize extraterrestrial resources.

Shaun Azimi, the lead of NASA Johnson’s dexterous robotics team, expressed enthusiasm for the development and testing of advanced robotic systems, highlighting their potential to improve safety in hazardous environments and expand the capabilities of human explorers.

Valkyrie, along with other advanced mobile robots, has the potential to enable remote supervision of dangerous tasks and relieve humans of monotonous and repetitive work. These robots play a vital role in supporting missions like Artemis and establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface, as well as future endeavors on planets like Mars. The software development work conducted on Valkyrie will also inform upcoming hardware releases by NASA.

As part of the testing process, NASA’s dexterous robotics team from Johnson traveled to Woodside’s headquarters in Perth to deliver the Valkyrie robot and provide operational training to the Woodside team.

The collaboration between NASA and Woodside Energy showcases the potential for robotics to revolutionize hazardous operations and pave the way for safer exploration and utilization of resources, both on Earth and in space.

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