Reconfigurable control station design for robotic operations

Abstract

Recent advances in graphical user interfaces for high end workstations has produced a new generation of control stations for use in telerobotics. This report describes work in progress at the University of Maryland Space Systems Laboratory to develop a top level user interface for controlling a free-flying underwater robot for microgravity simulation. With four manipulator arms, onboard navigation and sensing, and active buoyancy compensation, "Ranger NBV" severely taxes the capability of conventional control station designs. The architecture of the control station is described as well as the communication interfaces between the control station and the vehicle. A new software communications protocol called "NDDS" has enabled the use of multiple control stations for simultaneously controlling different components of the vehicle. Experiences with using this control station for robotic operations within the laboratory's neutral buoyancy tank are described along with several recent tests involving shared control between the University of Maryland and several NASA centers.