Development of arm controller for robotic satellite servicing demonstrations

Robotic arms have great utility in space missions, potentially enabling rapid and accurate servicing and repair operations without the need for pricey and potentially dangerous extra-vehicle activities (EVAs). Human-like robotic arms are especially promising in space-based applications because they can utilize existing tools designed for human hands, enabling great versatility in the range of servicing tasks that can be performed. Despite this, robotic arms are increasingly difficult to control and it takes significant time to master their operation. There is a need for a simple, intuitive arm controller to enable operators to easily and effectively harness the full potential of a robotic arm’s capabilities. This paper first outlines the design and development of a virtual reality testing platform for a human-like robotic arm system. This platform is a modular simulation developed in Simulink that can incorporate real-time controller inputs and be used to test both control algorithms as well as different controllers. Next, the design and initial testing of an intuitive, glove-based controller for the robotic arm system are presented. The glove-based controller captures a user’s hand and wrist motions through several onboard sensors and uses these signals to intuitively control the robotic arm. This work is part of a collaborative project to develop a testing platform for robotic satellite servicing demonstrations.