Safe teleoperation of a dual hand-arm robotic system

Abstract

This paper introduces a supervised teleoperation system to cope with some of the main problems that arise in the teleoperation of hand-arm robotic systems. The set-up consists of two magnetic trackers and two sensorized gloves that command, respectively, two industrial robots and the mechanical hands with which they are equipped. The basic mapping aspects both at hand and arm level are discussed, as well as the communication issues related with the implementation done based on ROS (Robot Operating System). The risk of collisions and of reaching singular configurations, either internal or due to the workspace limits, is controlled by monitoring the state of the hand-arm system and stoping it when necessary. An automatic re-synchronization procedure allows to resume the teleoperation as soon as the risk has disappeared, and also permits the user to change the mapping when his/her posture becomes uncomfortable. The resulting system allows an intuitive, simple and safe teleoperation of a dual hand-arm robotic system.