Boston-Power’s batteries will provide power for the robot, known as Robonaut 2 or R2, a highly dexterous human-like robot designed to work alongside humans as a robotic assistant. R2, developed jointly by NASA and General Motors to support astronauts working in dangerous environments and on repetitious tasks, is capable of performing a wide range of human skills and motions, and is the second generation of humanoid robots created for space travel.
Along with the R2 robots involved with Project M, separate robots are expected to launch on the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-133 mission planned for later this year.
Boston-Power is delivering a 2.5kWh energy storage system which includes its award-winning Swing cells as well as an integrated battery management system. The entire battery system will deliver industry-leading high energy density, along with extended cycle and calendar life at a wide operating temperature range, to meet the weight, space and flight requirements of the pack.
Swing was designed to meet the stringent requirements of a wide range of applications, including Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Utility Energy Storage solutions. It is also the only lithium-ion battery of its kind to earn the stringent Nordic Ecolabel environmental accreditation (Boston-Power’s Sonata® for notebook PCs is the first and only to earn such certification in that sector). Swing, along with Sonata, has also earned a similar industry-first certification from the China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC).
“As the field of advanced robotics continues to push the envelope in terms of capability and functionality, the need for safe, reliable and long lasting battery technology becomes more crucial,” said Boston-Power Founder and CEO Dr. Christina Lampe-Önnerud. “Boston-Power’s technology platform answers the call for new and better-performing batteries to facilitate these historic advancements and we’re delighted to be collaborating with NASA and Project M.”
As part of this initiative, Boston-Power and NASA have entered into a Space Act Agreement (SAA) for the development of an advanced, environmentally sustainable lithium-ion battery pack capable of being mass produced for NASA performance and proof-of-concept testing activities. The packs will be tested at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, located in Houston, Texas, for possible integration into an advanced space vehicle as part of the Lunar Lander project.
Boston-Power, Inc. is an award-winning provider of next-generation lithium-ion battery technology. Designed to fuel a wide range of applications, its flagship offering, Sonata®, serves as the foundation for a new era of longer lasting, faster charging, safer and environmentally sustainable notebook computer batteries.
The company’s Swing™ product delivers unmatched capabilities for Plug-In Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles (PHEV/BEV), and utility energy storage. Founded in 2005 and with more than 120 patents filed, Boston-Power is led by Founder and CEO Dr. Christina Lampe-Önnerud, an internationally recognized innovator, entrepreneur and technology advisor with regard to portable power, energy storage and climate change.
To date, the company has raised $191 million in venture funding and has earned accolades for its executive leadership and technology from organizations that include The Wall Street Journal, the World Economic Forum, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), Time Magazine, Veckans Affärer, the Guardian UK/CleanTech Group, DEMO, AlwaysOn and Frost & Sullivan. Boston-Power is headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, and has Six Sigma-level mass manufacturing operations in Asia.
