Robonaut is a humanoid robot designed by the Robot Systems Technology Branch at NASA's Johnson Space Center in a collaborative effort with DARPA. The Robonaut project seeks to develop and demonstrate a robotic system that can function as an EVA astronaut equivalent. Robonaut jumps generations ahead by eliminating the robotic scars (e.g., special robotic grapples and targets) and specialized robotic tools of traditional on-orbit robotics. However, it still keeps the human operator in the control loop through its telepresence control system. Robonaut is designed to be used for "EVA" tasks, i.e., those which were not specifically designed for robots.

Robonaut's head is still a work in progress, but the existing system includes an articulated neck that allows the teleoperator to point Robonaut's camera as eyes. The head's two small color cameras deliver stereo vision to the operator's helmet display, yielding a form of depth perception. The inter-ocular spacing of the cameras is matched to typical human eye spacing, with a fixed vergence at arm's reach. The neck drives are commanded using a 6 axis Polhemus sensor mounted on the teleoperator's helmet, and can track the velocities of typical human neck motions. Like the arms, the neck's endoskeletonis covered in a fabric skin, which is fitted into and under the helmet.

Robonaut's hands will be able to fit into all the required places and operate EVA tools like this tether hook. Joint travel for the wrist pitch and yaw is designed to meet or exceed the human hand in a pressurized glove. The hand and wrist parts are sized to reproduce the necessary strength to meet maximum EVA crew requirements. EVA space compatibility separates the Robonaut Hands from many others. All component materials meet outgassing restrictions to prevent contamination that could interfere with other space systems.