Telerobotic Device

With a telerobotic device, someone on the ground can do some tasks in orbit as if they were there. For assembling small payloads into one larger set, (for example, connecting tether segments to build a larger tether) or fixing things in the tether system, telerobotic devices will be very important.

Telerobotic devices don't have to have life support, shielding, food, etc. Also, any number of different people on the ground could operate such devices. You might switch off during different shifts of the day, or depending on the particular expertise needed at the moment.

Hotels generally have a large staff. If early on the hotel does not have farming and full recycling in operation it will be costly to keep staff in space. So it may well be cheaper to have some of this staff operate from the ground via telerobotic devices. This could be cleaning, farming, etc. Depending on the design, the farm may not be as shielded from radiation, so telerobotic tending might make good sense.
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