Control from space – Robot Command Terminal on board the ISS
Control from space – Robot Command Terminal on board the ISS
The Columbus module of the International Space Station houses the Robot Command Terminal (RCT) used for the Surface Avatar experiments. In addition to a laptop with a graphical user interface, the operator has two input stations. The sigma joystick (left) can be used to intuitively control the movement and viewing directions of the various robots. The interaction device (right) was used by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio to control the robots' arms and move the arm of DLR robot Rollin' Justin, for example, as if it were his own. As the control is governed by seven degrees of freedom, the movements feel very natural. Thanks to built-in force feedback, the operator also feels what the robot 'feels' by sensing the resistance when the robot touches or grips something.
Credit:
DownloadESA/DLR
