Telerobotics
The telerobotics is a subfield of robotics that deals with the control of robots from a distance. Applied were especially wireless transmission methods, such as Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, the Deep Space Network, tethering or the Internet. There are two major subdivisions: telepresence telepresence robots and tele-operation with tele-operation robots.
- 3.1 interfaces
- 5.1 Literature
- 5.2 External links
- 5.3 Notes and references
Overview
Teleoperation
Teleoperation referred to simply put: working at a distance. A teleoperator (also called tele manipulator ) is a technical device that is remotely controlled by a human control station. Is this device capable of autonomous work, it is called a telerobot. Is it completely autonomous, it is called a robot.
In simple cases, the commands of the control console to correspond to those of the device, as for example in a remote-controlled air or a remotely operated vehicle. In cases where any delay or interruption in the communication have a direct control of the device impractical (for example, a rover in space ), or in which the workload of the control station is to be minimized (for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle ), the devices are not controlled by direct commands, rather give them a more general object is defined, and the device will autonomously try to accomplish this task. The farther the device is perfected in this direction, the more it develops from a telerobot to a robot.
Telepresence
Telepresence says to put it simply: be virtually anywhere else. The telepresence robot transfers the performance of its sensors to the control center. The technical challenge is not so much is to transmit the sensor readings, but to create the illusion of virtual reality.
The MIT professor Rodney Brooks formulated the following vision:
" The telepresence robots will meet on a thought towards our desires. While we may be physically present in a certain place, we will be able to project ourselves mentally into a telepresence device and to another place, when we are authorized for it. All who do not have this technology, they will want soon. "
Telepresence robots are particularly common in the military, are also used in civil remote sensing. In the military environment, they are often called drones. Its scope is widely used in education where the use of people is too dangerous.
History
The first rudimentary telerobot was developed by Raymond Goertz at Argonne National Laboratory in 1945. He created a robotic arm with the highly radioactive material in a shelter from a distance could be moved. First, the mechanical arm on trains was controlled, from 1954 the machine but was converted to an electrical servo mechanism.
William R. Corliss, and Eric G. Johnson began in the mid 1950s in the development of the first telepresence robot, even if they are not yet so called him, which already had a rotatable camera. The Russian scientist Aaron Kobrinskii created in 1960 a forearm prosthesis, which was controlled by the body's own electrical signals from the upper arm stump.
In the 1960s, researchers began in the United States and the Soviet Union with the development of remote-controlled robots for space exploration. The first telerobot in space eventually became the Soviet Lunokhod 1, which was powered by a solar cell and had a camera and a laser reflector.
In the 1970s, shifted the focus of research to industrial applications. In this decade, but also the first underwater telerobot were built. After the exaggerated hopes of the industry had not fulfilled on telerobot from the 1970s, research in this area slowed markedly in the 1980s and 1990s. Even the NASA Space Telerobotics Program was discontinued in 1997.
Since about 2000 the interest in Tele robots will rise again, as they can be controlled easily via the well-developed Internet now. The research focused mainly on military and medical applications.
Technology
The two main components of tele- robots are the sensors and control technology. For visual sensor wireless video transmission systems are used mostly. To position the camera at the telephoto robot so that it allows an intuitive control of the device, is not trivial, since delays or interruptions may occur in the data transmission.
Especially with a camera control via head-mounted display latency are often uncomfortable for the user and make the control unintuitive. Such delays, failures or other restrictions may cause nausea with the user called Simulator Sickness.
Interfaces
Telerobot can be controlled by simple interfaces, such as a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Controlled primarily through the Internet telerobot mostly use such a simple interface. A useful extension is often a joystick, which allows a more intuitive control for 2D robot movements.
For telepresence robots are usually used head-mounted displays. The control you can use either a joystick or head movements.
Applications
With the exception of the Apollo program telerobotic space probes were used in all programs of space research. Also, most telescopes are telerobotisch controlled. Important examples are the Mars Exploration Rover and the Hubble Space Telescope. The International Space Station has two telerobotisch controlled robotic arms, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator hot.
Marine Remotely Operated Vehicles ( ROVs ) are used for deep sea exploration and repair of oil rigs.
Another large field of telerobotics is medicine. Especially in surgery systems are used for robot-assisted surgery.
Also in the processing radioaktivier substances telerobotic robotic arms are used.