Haptic teleoperation of robotic manipulator

Abstract

In teleoperated robotic systems, a user controls a robotic manipulator via an input device. Generally the position and velocity commands generated by the user in free space can be arbitrary in the workspace of the input device. However, due to the mechanical limitation and workspace constraints of a manipulator, the manipulator cannot always exactly follow the input command and often runs into a stop. This paper proposes a haptic teleoperation method to enable a user to control a manipulator conveniently and without violating constraints of the manipulator. The configuration constraints and mechanical limits, such as singularities and joint limits, are converted into a constraining force. It is then fed back to the user via a haptic device to restrict the motion of the user's hand so that the manipulator can be operated smoothly without being interrupted by constraint violation. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.