EXOSTATION : Haptic exoskeleton based control station

Abstract

EXOSTATION is a project aiming at building a complete haptic control station, which allows the operator wearing an exoskeleton-based haptic interface for the human arm to remotely control a virtual slave robot. This paper briefly describes the various components : the Sensoric Arm Master (SAM), a portable haptic exoskeleton, the Exoskeleton COntroller (ECO), the slave simulator, simulating an anthropomorphic manipulator and a 3D visualisation client. Several teleoperation control strategies (impedance, hybrid control, 3-channel) have been tested and compared in order to evaluate their performances. The last has shown the best behavior in term of haptic feedback. Finally, a focus is made on the application, and how various manipulation and operation tasks can be performed to assess the system's performances (contact wall, objects manipulation, screwing). Users who tested the system were very impressed by the easiness of operation with the exoskeleton and felt the advantages of a force feedback information.