Dextre robot now fully assembled, ready for testing

Apparently, the folks aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour aren't wasting any time piecing Dextre together (or jamming to their iPods), as just days after we first heard about this creature's future in space, now we're hearing that he's totally assembled and ready to rock. The bot, which is formally known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator, has been fitted with various tools and cameras and is all set to "undergo a series of tests and trials before it is asked to do major tasks." Godspeed, young Dextre -- hopefully you'll have more success than Ted and Gadget.

[eggothewaffle @ Mar 18th 2008 11:36AM]

Now wait one second...Where is the green Engadget Alien xenomorph photoshopped into the picture?

[Craig @ Mar 18th 2008 11:37AM]

I, for one, welcome our new giant ant-like, space faring robot overlord.

[Brian @ Mar 18th 2008 12:44PM]

Lol!

[kevjohn @ Mar 18th 2008 11:48AM]

Note to astronauts: do not turn your back on Dextre unless you *want* to get flung off into space.

[Scruge @ Mar 18th 2008 6:49PM]

hahahahahHAHhahAHhahHAHahHA good one.
i wonder if we have a hal9000 in development somewhere...

[David @ Mar 18th 2008 6:50PM]

well, that comment isnt very funny anymore with arthur c clarke gone now.....

[Darkroom @ Mar 18th 2008 11:54AM]

OH CANADA!

[Groan @ Mar 18th 2008 12:31PM]

Darkroom! you beat me to it!

Damn, us Canadians sure know how to make a bot.

[Special_K @ Mar 18th 2008 12:44PM]

I remember way back when they were installing the Canadarm on the ISS, there was a contest to name it, quite widely touted on CTV at the time. Nothing ever came of it, and it just got named "Canadarm II". I asked my godfather about this, he's in with the guys at the Canadian Space Agency, and he said that the entries ranged from horrible to absolutely abysmal. He said that the closest entry that came to getting picked was from a chief engineer at MDS Robotics (the firm that made the Canadarms): "Candadapt". Yeah, I know. Now we've got "Dextre", using the same kind of pseudo-bilingual logic behind "Concorde" with none of the panache. Moral of the story? We're better at building the things than naming them.

[whatishalo? @ Mar 18th 2008 12:52PM]

Good thing the name isn't Special Purpose Ambidextrous Manipulator... then the astronauts would be guilty of SPAM!

[Munkcy @ Mar 18th 2008 2:32PM]

If while trying to use Dextre, he ever says "What are you doing, Dave?" I suggest that the astronauts get the hell out of there.

[Fanfoot @ Mar 19th 2008 4:19PM]

I heard that Dexter was asocial, and only pretended to have human feelings, when all he really liked to do was slice people up with his personal collection of knives... oh wait, is that the wrong Dexter?