NASA has recently teamed up with GM to build the latest in robotic technology, the Robonaut 2.  Nicknamed R2 (no, it isn't followed by D2), this robot is a step above the rest.  Each of its human like arms can lift 10 Kilograms, which I hear is substantially more than the competition can claim.

For NASA, this robot is the ideal 'assistant'.  It can go places that humans wouldn't want to, and can perform many of the menial tasks that humans are currently doing, like standard maintenance operation on the International Space Station.  But why would GM want a part in this?  That should be obvious.

"For GM, this is about safer cars and safer plants," Alan Taub, GM's vice president for global research and development, said in a statement. "When it comes to future vehicles, the advancements in controls, sensors and vision technology can be used to develop advanced vehicle safety systems."Source: news.cnet.com

While this robot is still in the early stages, there is a great deal of potential.  If they can lessen its weight and make it a standard piece of equipment on every mission, astronauts can spend more time on their scientific research and less on the mundane