Multi-Mode Manipulator Display System for Space Telerobotics

To control current and future space telerobotics systems, the operator can be faced with several difficult control scenarios regarding the human-machine interface. These include operating the arm with limited positioning cues, avoiding joint limits or singularities, and operating the arm a single joint at a time rather than with the hand controllers which can be required due to system failures. The two operational modes of the Multi-mode Manipulator Display System address these problems. The first mode, Manipulator Position Display (MPD) mode provides the operator with positioning cues that are particularly helpful during operations with constrained viewing conditions. Experimental results have shown that performance times were much faster when using the MPD for constrained viewing tasks when compared to performance without the MPD. The second mode, Joint Operations Display (JOD) mode assists the operator with avoiding joint limits and singularities as well as with operating the manipulator a single joint at a time.