In a presentation at Automate 2011 in Chicago, the NASA and GM Team Leaders provided new details about Robonaut2 (R2).

General Motors will soon work with a robotics manufacturer to enhance R2 with faster chips, cameras and sensors to take advantage of the flexibility of the hands and lower arm springs.

The GM representative said that the new two-armed robots on the market lack end-of-arm flexibility and sensors and arm tensioning thereby making them not flexible or safe enough to work side by side with GM factory workers.