General Motors and NASA today introduced the world to Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot capable of working side by side with astronauts and autoworkers.

Computerworld – Instead of sending a regular astronaut to make a dangerous spacewalk outside the International Space Station, NASA might some day soon be able to send a robotic astronaut to do the job instead.

NASA and General Motors (GM) announced late on Wednesday that they are working together to develop and build humanoid robots that can work side-by-side with humans. The idea, according to NASA, is to build robots that can help astronauts during dangerous mission and help GM build cars and automotive plants.

“This cutting-edge robotics technology holds great promise, not only for NASA, but also for the nation,” said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. “I’m very excited about the new opportunities for human and robotic exploration these versatile robots provide across a wide range of applications.”

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