Russia is preparing to send androids in space, as part of the crew of the ISS

Russia could send its first pair of FEDOR androids to the crew of the International Space Station as early as August 2019.

Russia could soon send its first humanoid robots into space for join the crew of astronauts aboard the International Space Station. (ISS), according to a report by One Defense .

The media quotes the Russian news website RIA Novosti which yesterday announced that the Russian space agency Roscosmos has approved the preliminary plan to ship the first pair of aircraft. Androids from the nation to the ISS as early as next year.

The robots are part of the Russian FEDOR program, abbreviation of Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, launched in 2014 and originally designed for rescue.

Androids are developed by the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects on the order of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, note Russia Beyond and could be In August 2019, he entered space, according to RIA Novosti who states that the information comes "from a source in the industry of space and rockets." [19659003] FEDOR androids are able to automatically work a wide range of tasks – demonstrated in the 2016 video below, which shows one of the humanoid robots using a saw, inserting a key to unlock a door, soldering, extinguishing a fire, and even get in a car.

posted on YouTube the previous month featured an android FEDOR actually driving a car.

Because androids also work through a special avatar-costume, which transmits the movements of a human operator, they were previously called the Avatar Project, RT reported at the time the video has been released.

Since the Russian androids demonstrated impressive skills of handyman and project engineers later stated that the robots are fit to perform in various environments, including Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, responsible for the Russian defense industry, demanded that the FEDOR program be adapted for the future manned space flights of Russia. State Media says @paulina_glass https://t.co/dYo4fplugm pic.twitter.com/csawS2ifrg

– Defense One (@DefenseOne) July 20, 2018 [19659011] Since then, androids have learned new skills, learning to pump, lift weights, operate an electric drill, punch fists and even fire Glocks with both hands, as seen in the YouTube video of 2017.

This new skill has prompted Rogozin to assert that the FEDOR android is not a Terminator robot, "but an artificial intelligence that will have great practical significance in various fields", The Independent reported last April.

According to a statement by Samuel Bendett, a research analyst associated with the Center for Naval Analyzes and a fellow in Russian Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, the android FEDOR "was originally designed as evidence of concept – and space The role of this robot was implicit from the beginning. "[19659015]" This makes a very good military android in the official videos where his shooting weapons, but ultimately it's a frame Dual – purpose work for hard – to – work projects like in space or in other dangerous environments. 19659016] Like the Inquisitr previously reported, NASA flew its own android to the ISS to help the crew with daily tasks. Unfortunately, the Robonaut 2 android broke in 2014 and was sent home to be repaired aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule that carried the company's fourteenth shipment to the space station.