Space-Age Tech Goes to the Clinic: From better brain surgery to cleaner air and water, space tech comes to Earth.

Anyone who has ever watched video of the now-retired U.S. space shuttle performing a mission such as repairing the Hubble telescope or of astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) installing a new station module or solar panel has seen some of the world?s most sophisticated robots in action?a set of multijointed remote-controlled arms that, with their ability to both translate and rotate in any direction, allow six degrees of freedom in their movements.