DEVELOPMENT OF DUAL-ARM MANIPULATOR CONTROL BASED ON TELEOPERATED MANIPULATION METHODS

AS NASA EXPANDS ITS SPACE CONSTRUCTION AND SATELLITE SERVICING ACTIVITIES, THE NEED FOR MACHINES THAT CAN PERFORM HUMAN MANIPULATION WITHOUT THE ACTUAL PRESENCE OF ANASTRONAUT WILL BECOME NECESSARY. A RANGE OF MANIPULATION TASKS HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED ON EARTH WITH THE USE OF TELEOPERATED MANIPULATORS. THESE MANIPULATORS HAVE BEEN USED FOR MANY YEARS TO ACCOMPLISH COMPLEX TWO ARMED MANIPULATION TASKS. PRESENTLY, MUCH RESEARCH ACTIVITY IS ONGOING TO DETERMINE HOW TO PERFORM MULTIPLE ARM MANIPULATION WITH ROBOTIC SYSTEMS. TO PROVIDE MANIPULATION FOR FUTURE SPACE SYSTEMS, THIS PROBLEM MUST BE ADDRESSED AND SOLVED. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE OPPORTUNITY OF DUAL-ARM MANIPULATION CONTROL BY LEVERAGING FROM THE SUCCESSFUL OPERATION OF TELEOPERATION SYSTEMS PRESENTLY AVAILABLE ON EARTH. THESE SYSTEMS PROVIDE COMPLIANCE THROUGH BOTH MECHANICAL AND CONTROL METHODS WHICH ALLOW THE PERFORMANCE OF TWO ARMED TASKS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS EFFORT IS TO DETERMINE WHY TELEOPERATED SYSTEMS CAN ACCOMPLISH TWO ARM TASKS, EXPLORE THE ABILITY OF TELEOPERATED SYSTEMS TO ACCOMPLISH THE ASSEMBLY OF SCAFFOLDING USING TEACH/PLAYBACK WITH NO HUMAN INTERVENTION, AND TO DEVELOP CONTROL AND MECHANICAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES SO THAT FUTURE MANIPULATION SYSTEMS CAN ACCOMPLISH MULTI-ARMED MANIPULATION.