Just how does a teleoperated, robotic hand work in microgravity? Scientists at the ESA are about to answer that question.
You can see an ESA engineer testing out the whole operation above, which the ESA says operates similarly to "high-end video game joysticks", both controlling the robotic hand from a distance and providing tactile feedback from the hand's sensors.
The robotic hand will be headed into space this summer and, if all goes well in the first round of microgravity testing, scientists hope to move to testing telerobotic control from the ground next.
Image: ESA-Guus Schoonewille