Sensorbased space robotics - ROTEX and its telerobotic features

Abstract

In early 93 the space robot technology experiment ROTEX has flown with space-shuttle COLUMBIA. A multisensory robot on board the spacecraft successfully worked in autonomous modes, teleoperated by astronauts, as well as in different telerobotic ground control modes.These include on-line teleoperation and tele-sensor- programming, a task-level oriented programming technique involving "learning by showing" concepts in a virtual environment. The robot's key features were its multisensory gripper and the local sensory feedback schemes which are the basis for shared autonomy. The corresponding man-machine interface concepts using a 6 dof non-force-reflecting control ball and visual feedback to the human operator are explained. Stereographic simulation on ground was used to predict not only the robot's free motion but even the sensor based path refinement on board.