Q: What is the best part of robotics?
A: " The best part of robotics is getting something to work using the efforts of many different people and skills. In robotics, there's a lot of teamwork. No one person does all the work to make a robot operate. It's always interesting to me to see all the different skills required to make our robots work. - NASA Robotics Engineer Linda Kobayashi
Q: What is the hardest part of building robots?
A: The hardest part of building robots is finding out something didn't work the way you expected. When that happens, we usually have to go back to the drawing board and come up with some other creative way to do what we want. - NASA Robotics Engineer Linda Kobayashi
Q: Can any of the robots repair themselves? If they break down can they fix each other?
A: No robot or probe that has been sent to space has had the capability to mechanically fix itself. However, when mechanical problems have come up, the controllers on the ground have come up with solutions involving a change of software or operations that have allowed missions to continue. The stuck antenna on Galileo is a great example of this. Robots that can repair themselves or other robots are something that we're tackling right now. - NASA Robotics Engineer Brett Kennedy
Q: What college classes are required for getting a job in robotics?
A: It is different for every individual, but you can be sure that a good understanding of math, science, technology and communication is very necessary.
Q: Can robots work in ice?
A: Sure-if they are built for it. As an example, the Nomad Rover (http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/projects/meteorobot2000/) allowed scientists to remotely search for meteorites in Antarctica-a very icy area!"
Source:
http://robotics.nasa.gov/students/faq.php
