The Remotely Operated Mechanical Astronaut, or ROMA, is the next step forward in robotic Extra-Vehicular Activity, or EVA, assistance. Simply put, it is, as the name implies, a robotic astronaut stand-in operated by an astronaut inside the International Space Station, or ISS. ROMA's simplicity of design incorporates numerous amounts of hardware and software already in use to create a single, versatile robot to heighten safety and lessen the amount of time it takes to complete an EVA. The brilliance of ROMA is that its design uses technology already in use and molds it together into a singular, adaptable machine capable of doing numerous tasks. For instance, the idea for a free-floating camera originally comes from the AERCam Sprint (Petty, 2003). ROMA molds this idea with the arm from the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (or SSRMS), to produce a free-flying camera with arms (Dunbar, 2013). Add a miniaturized Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (or SPDM), and now the robot has hands (Ryba, 2001). In addition to this, ROMA gets its maneuvering hardware from the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) technology (NASAExplorers, 2014), and its control systems from presently existing virtual reality technology (Gilman, 2010). Once all of these elements are slightly modified, they are able to seamlessly mold together into a maneuverable, free-floating camera with arms and hands able to do all the tasks of an astronaut. This is ROMA. The main purpose of ROMA is to keep astronauts safer than ever during spacewalks, and what better way of staying safe than removing yourself from the action? It may seem like science-fiction, but ROMA is much like the Iron Man suit that is able to be operated remotely. Since ROMA is controlled by a... ... middle of paper ... ..., B. (2013, January). Canadarm2 and the Mobile Servicing System. Space Station Assembly. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/mss.html Gilman, I. (2010, November). How Do Astronauts Train for Spacewalks? Spacewalks. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/nasaandyou/home/spacewalks_bkgd_en.html NASAExplores. (2014). Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER). Space/Astronomy. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://space.about.com/od/spaceexplorationtools/a/safer_2.htm Petty, J. I. (2003, April). AERCam Sprint. Spaceflight.Nasa.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/sprint/ Ryba, J. (2001, February). A Helping Hand for the Space Station. NASA.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://www.nasa.gov/missions/shuttle/f_isshand.html