SPACE TELE-ROBOTICS EXPERIMENT SYSTEM USING PREDICTIVE BILATERAL CONTROL

This paper describes a space tele-robotics experiment system using a p redictive bilateral control and the results of simulated space tele-ma nipulation experiments. The predictive bilateral control provides both the predictive and virtual contact forces/torque along six degrees of freedom by a force-reflected master-arm. The virtual contact forces a re produced by the collision with a virtual guide model to move the sl ave-arm to a desired position quickly and safely. Ground simulation mo dels can be calibrated by means of visual sensing using target marks. The simulator for previewing is designed to be re-configurable by modu larizing the basic functions. The system executes tasks including manu al operations according to a program written in an interpreter languag e for interactive operations. Coupling experiments using ETS-VII Anten na Assembling Mechanism (AAM) and peg-in-hole tests were carried out t o evaluate the system's effectiveness, and the results obtained demons trate that it is in fact effective. Currently, the predictive bilatera l control method is scheduled to be evaluated to actual ETS-VII space experiments in 1998.