Great opportunity to bid on a unique NASA designed robot

This September RR Auction is giving everyone the amazing opportunity to bid on an extraordinary robot designed by NASA. The item is part of a much larger sale of Remarkable Rarities which also include other space – related collectibles. The auction will take place in two stages, one online lasting ten days and the other one will be a live auction taking place on the 26^th in Boston.

The robot in question was specifically designed by NASA to test space suits, as using human subjects would have been dangerous. According to cnet.com, the human body is unable to withstand such low air pressures as the ones in outer space and that is precisely why it is necessary for astronauts to wear those space suits. However, back in the 1960s, with the space race in full bloom, NASA needed concrete information and accurate data regarding the space suits and this is basically how the Power Driven Articulated Dummy (PDAD) came to be created.

As reported by wired.co, the project lasted about two years, from May 1963 to July 1965, during which time two robots were built by scientists at the IIT Research Institute in Chicago. Out of the two dummies, one is currently owned and displayed by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the other one is going on the auction block in just a couple of weeks. Given that there were only two such androids ever created, it is understandable why the item is considered such a rarity and why it was estimated by RR Auction at an impressive $80,000.

The purpose of the robot was to test and see how the human body would act in a space suit. In order to gather relevant information, PDAD was designed to perform and replicate around 35 human body movements. As stated by space.com, the android weighs 230lbs and is adjustable in height. As it turns out, when building it, its designers had the average height of an American male in mind. This is why PDAD can go from 5 feet and 5 inches to 6 feet and 2 inches in height. The robot is covered in a 1/32 inch thick aluminum layer,, the head is made out of fiber glass and the facial part is removable in order to allow access to the connections on the inside.

In order to perform all the necessary movements to test the space suits, PDAD was equipped with a circulatory system of nylon tubes, as specified on engaget.com. Oil would flow through these tubes and allow the dummy to move.

Even though the idea of building such a robot and the way in which it was designed back in the 1960s are beyond innovative, the project did not manage to reach its final goal. The pressure was too much for that circulatory system so that the robot would move without leaking oil. The issue was attempted to be resolved by putting the dummy in a scuba wetsuit, but it seems that did not work, because in July 1965 the project was dropped and the funds were allocated to other research.

There is no doubt that RR Auction is giving collectors an amazing opportunity with this item. The robot up for auction is now missing a hand and forearm, has a few dents on the outer aluminum skin and part of its circuits are damaged. However, given that it is a one of a kind item, it is expected to be one of the stars in RR Auction’s lot.

Detailed information on PDAD can be found on RR Auction’s webpage. Interested collectors can also follow their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rrauction/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/rrauction posts for upcoming auctions and amazing deals!