Engineering fantasy into reality - Robohub

Source: robohub
Published: 8/26/2025
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Read original articleErik Ballesteros, inspired by childhood visits to NASA’s Johnson Space Center near his Texas hometown and a lifelong fascination with human space exploration, has realized his dream of contributing to astronautics through engineering. Now a PhD student in mechanical engineering at MIT, Ballesteros has interned at JSC, working on spacesuit materials, life support systems, and Mars rocket propulsion prototypes, as well as training astronauts on emergency systems. At MIT, he and his advisor Harry Asada are developing SuperLimbs, wearable robotic arms designed to assist astronauts by providing extra strength and mobility during spacewalks, such as lifting a fallen astronaut or enabling movement along spacecraft exteriors. This project is being refined in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is planned for practical testing with astronauts at JSC within the next few years.
Ballesteros credits his success to the connections he has built and maintained across academia and industry, emphasizing the collaborative nature of innovation. His early interest in engineering was sparked by
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robotroboticswearable-technologyspace-explorationastronaut-assistanceNASAmechanical-engineering