Technology
Robots Are Cutting Down on the Need for Space Doctors
Automated medical systems and remote controls mean fewer personnel per mission.
Astronaut Michael Barratt works the controls at the Canadarm2 robotic workstation in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.
Source: NASA
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Man vs. Machine examines the ways in which technology promises to simplify our lives—or, for some of us, threatens to upend them.
NASA has largely computerized routine tasks such as orbital rendezvous, docking, and trajectory mapping; it’s also been developing “robonauts” since the late 1990s, including medical systems that can perform tests and procedures while controlled remotely by a doctor—or, in some cases, handle things without any human involvement.