Valkyrie runs on a pair of Intel Core i7 processors and a 1.8kWh battery. It can operate on its own for about an hour. Its main perceptual sensor is a modified Carnegie Robotics Multisense SL that allows for IR structure light point cloud generation, though its torso is equipped with hazard cameras, as is its head..
A host of elastic rotary actuators enable subtle movements. Valkyrie's simplified hands consist of only three fingers and a thumb and its head has three degrees of movement. The bot's designers have given it some anthropomorphic touches as well, in the hopes the robot can feel more like a coworker than a piece of metal during those lonely long missions.
"Our robot is soft. If you brush against it while you're working, you don't want to feel this cold, hard metal. You want it to feel natural, like you're working next to another human being. The soft goods – the clothes we put on the robot – give it that feel, that appearance of being more comfortable to be near," JSC team leader Nicolaus Radford