CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- NASA's humanoid robot has finally awakened in space.
Ground controllers turned Robonaut on Monday for the first time aboard the International Space Station. The robot was delivered to the orbiting complex back in February. It took this long for the operating software to get up there, and for the astronauts to have enough time to help with the experiment.
The test involved sending power to all of Robonaut's systems. The robot was not commanded to move. That will happen next week.
Team members were exhilarated by Monday's successful test. It's being tested as a possible astronaut's helper.
Robonaut, also known as R2, is the first humanoid robot in space. For now, it exists from the waist up.