A ROBUST, AUTOMATED ALIGNMENT CONCEPT FOR ROBOTICS

A video-based pose sensor is presented that overcomes some of the comm on problems with typical robotic pose sensors. The Targeting and Refle ctive Alignment Concept (TRAC) sensor operates using the optics of ref lection. TRAC is a robust sensor capable of both continuous and discre te pose sensing in the presence of a class of disturbance inputs (extr aneous lighting). Key features of the sensor are its high sensitivity to orientation error, its decoupled handling of orientation and transl ation (without calibration transformations), and its ability to provid e intuitive feedback to a human operator for tele-operation. The senso r has been shown successful at target tracking with a PUMA manipulator in the laboratory and in automatic positioning of NASA-JSC's Manipula tor Development Facility (MDF) telemanipulator arm used for shuttle as tronaut training.