  | 
    
       
      
      
    
          Science Fiction 
Dictionary 
        A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z 
  
     | 
      | 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
      Robot Kirobo Talks With Astronauts Aboard ISS 
	   
       
      
        
      
    For the first time ever, a talking Japanese robot converses with humans in space.
  
  
( Astronaut Koichi Wakata talks to robot Kirobo aboard the ISS)
 
Astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) made small talk with Kirobo aboard the International Space Station on Dec. 6:
Wakata: How did you get out here into space, Kirobo?
 
Kirobo: On a Kounotori from Tanegashima.
 
Wakata: Oh, so you flew all the way into space on a bird? (In Japanese, "kounotori" means "white stork." The transfer vehicle that brought Kirobo to the space station in August was named Kounotori 4.)
 
Kirobo: It wasn't a bird; it was the Kounotori rocket.
 
Wakata: It's incredible that you came here all by yourself.
 
Kirobo: Well, I'm a robot!
  
SF fans fondly recall early depictions of this historic chat, like the interaction between Princess Leia and R2-D2 in the first Star Wars film in 1977. Fans of mainstream Sixties TV sci-fi also recall the Robot from Lost in Space.
 
Via NBC News.  
    Scroll down  for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/18/2013)  
    Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.
    
    
    | Email  | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us |  Digg |  Reddit | 
    
    
    Would
        you like to contribute a story tip?
        It's easy:  
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here. 
	
	Comment/Join  discussion ( 0 )  
	
       
        
    Related News Stories - 
	("
	Space Tech
") 
	
    
      
	    
		
		Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again? 
        'They filed clumsily into the battleroom, like children in a swimming pool for the first time, clinging to the handholds along the side.' - Orson Scott Card, 1985.  
      
      
	    
		
		Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution 
        'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors...'  
      
      
	    
		
		Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri 
        'This was their world, their planet — 
this swift-traveling, yet seemingly moveless vessel.' - Nat Schachner, 1934  
      
      
	    
		
		The First Space Warship For Space Force  
        'Each of the electrical ships carried about twenty men...' - Garrett P. Serviss, 1898.  
      
    
      
    
	Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
        is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
        the Invention Category that interests
        you, the Glossary, the Invention
      Timeline, or see what's New. 
      
     | 
      | 
    
	
		    
		   
		   
		 
      Science Fiction 
        Timeline 
  1600-1899  
  1900-1939 
  1940's   1950's 
  1960's   1970's 
  1980's   1990's 
  2000's   2010's 
		 
	Current News  
	
          
          Jetson ONE Air Races Begin, Can Air Polo Be Far Behind? 
		  'If you're one of those rarities who haven't attended a rocket-polo "carnage", let me tell you it's a colorful affair.' 
            
          Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again? 
		  'They filed clumsily into the battleroom, like children in a swimming pool for the first time, clinging to the handholds along the side.' 
            
          Mornine Sales Robot 
		  'Robot-salesmen were everywhere, gesturing...' 
            
          Bipedal Robot Floats Gently While Walking 
		  'a walking balloon proceeded with long strides of its aluminum legs...' 
            
          Musk Idea Of Cars Talking To Each Other Predicted 70 Years Ago 
		  'My cars talk to one another.' 
            
          Elegant Bivouac Shelter Produces Water And Electricity 
		  'There was nowhere on the planet where science and technology could not provide one with a comfortable home...' 
            
          X-Control Janus-1 A Suitcase Aircraft 
		  'You will notice that it... fits the suitcase nicely.' 
            
          'AI Assistants' Are Actually Less Reliable For News 
		  'Most men updated their PIP on New Year's Day...' 
            
          YES!! Remote Teleoperated Robots predicted by Technovelgy! 
		  '...a misshapen, many-tentacled thing about twice the size of a man.' 
            
          Will Robots Ever Fold Landry? 
		  Where have you gone, Mrs. Robinson? 
            
          Will AIs Give Better Results If You're Rude To Them? 
		  'I said, "Listen up, motherf*cker.' 
            
          Cybertruck Robotic Arm F10 Drone Launch! 
		  Drone away! 
            
          Black Fungus Blocks Radiation 
		  'You were surrounded by Astrophage most of the time' 
            
          Liuzhi Process Now In Use In China 
		  'He was in a high-ceilinged windowless cell with walls of glittering white porcelain.' 
            
          Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution 
		  'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors...' 
            
          Will Robots Become Family Caregivers? 
		  'The robant and the tiny old woman entered the control room slowly...' 
            
More SF in the News Stories 
More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories 
     | 
      |