Galactic Droids

1. DUM-series Pit Droid and Dextre

DUM Pit Droid

The DUM Pit droid is a repair droid manufactured by Serv-O-Droid Inc. They are cheap, expendable and durable so it’s no surprise they are handy mechanics on the podracer teams. First seen in Episode I: The Phantom Menace during the podrace on Tatooine and then throughout the franchise including at Peli Motto's garage in Mos Eisley in The Mandalorian.

DUM Pit droids are humanoid in shape with two arms, two legs and a head. These helpful droids can perform simple repair tasks including ones that would be extremely dangerous! With their fearless personalities they can reach places too difficult and dangerous for organic lifeforms. They do have a tendency to create wobbly pyramids when working together in larger numbers!

Dextre

Dextre is a versatile robot that has been performing maintenance on board the International Space Station (ISS) since 2008. Designed by the Canadian Space Agency, it can sit at the end of the Canadarm2, a large robotic arm, as well as move around the ISS on the Mobile Base System. Dextre can install or replace small equipment, remove broken parts in electrical systems, as well as test new tools and robotic techniques.

There are seven joints on each of its two arms allowing a large range of motion creating more complex movements than a human arm. Each hand has a range of tools available and a camera for the astronauts and engineers on the ground to see. By having Dextre on board the ISS, it has saved the need for countless spacewalks by astronauts, saving time and helping to keep the astronauts safe.

3. Astrobee and MSE-6 Repair Droid

MSE-6 Repair Droid

MSE-6 Repair Droids are little boxes on wheels that are used for the upkeep and internal communications of bases and starships. We saw them for the first time in Episode IV: A New Hope on board the Death Star and are a staple droid within the franchise. They are also known as mouse droids because they are tiny, get frightened easily, and move quickly.

Their main role is to make repairs, clean floors, guide troops around, and carry top secret messages around in their command order tray. They also have a data probe and a grasping claw to assist in its work. These cute droids also help with security as R5-D4 found out by being zapped when trying to help Din Djarin to break into an Imperial Base. 

Astrobee

Astrobee is not one robot but three! They are cubed shaped robots called Bumble, Honey and Queen. They were sent up to the ISS in 2019 along with their charging dock and accessories. These three busy bees were designed to assist astronauts in their day to day duties freeing up time for the astronauts. They can do lots of helpful things like documenting experiments by videoing the astronauts, working together to move cargo around, take inventories, and have a platform fitted to take part in experiments themselves!

To move around, the Astrobees use electric fans for propulsion and have an arm to perch and grab things. To see where they're going and to navigate, they have cameras and sensors. The aim for the future is that they can become caretakers of spacecraft by monitoring and maintaining systems whilst the human crew are away. 

5. C-3PO and Kirobo

C-3PO

C-3PO is a Protocol droid, which was designed to communicate with organic lifeforms and droids. Protocol droids are programmed in etiquette and are equipped with a TranLang III communication module, making them fluent in over 6 million forms of communication. This makes the Protocol droid vital for assisting diplomats, politicians and senators in their work. This leads to each droid having their own personalities, though for C-3PO, over time this made him quite fussy and a worrier. But we wouldn’t have him any other way! 

C-3PO was rebuilt from spare parts by Anakin Skywalker when he was a child. C-3PO followed him on his adventures and ended up helping Queen Amidala with her duties in the Senate. When *spoiler alert!* Anakin turned to the dark side, C-3PO with his friend R2-D2 went to help the Rebel Alliance.

Kirobo

In August 2013, Japan sent a little robot called Kirobo to the ISS. His mission was to be a friend to the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, astronaut Koichi Wakata during his stay onboard. JAXA partnered up with University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advances Science and Technology, The Toyota Motor Corp., Robo Garage and Dentsu Inc. They wanted to design a robot that could talk to astronauts during long voyages in space and to study how this interaction technology could help with emotional support.

Kirobo has voice, face, and emotion recognition software as well as a camera and natural language processing. His look was inspired by the animated character ‘Astro Boy’ who is an android boy with human emotions. During his time onboard the ISS, Kirobo managed to achieve two Guinness World Records. He is the first companion robot in space and has the highest altitude for a robot to have a conversation in space at 414.2 km above sea level! We'll soon be having our own robotic companions by our sides on interplanetary travels!