Jan Smisek

Transcelestial Technologies

Las plataformas robóticas se configuran como una herramienta eficaz a la hora de paliar los inconvenientes que surgen en la aplicación de técnicas quirúrgicas mínimamente invasivas. Este artículo plantea el empleo de guiado háptico para mejorar la experiencia del cirujano cuando utiliza plataformas robóticas teleoperadas. En concreto se propone la...

Haptic guidance is a promising method for assisting an operator in solving robotic remote operation tasks. It can be implemented through different methods, such as virtual fixtures, where a predefined trajectory is used to generate guidance forces, or interactive guidance, where sensor measurements are used to assist the operator in real-time. Duri...

Series elastic actuators (SEAs) are interesting for usage in harsh environments as they are more robust than rigid actuators. This paper shows how SEAs can be used in teleoperation to increase output velocity in dynamic tasks. A first experiment is presented that tested human ability to achieve higher hammerhead velocities with a flexible hammer th...

Series elastic actuators (SEAs) are interesting for usage in harsh environments as they are more robust than rigid actuators. This paper shows how SEAs can be used in teleoperation to increase output velocity in dynamic tasks. A first experiment is presented that tested human ability to achieve higher hammerhead velocities with a flexible hammer th...

In haptic shared control systems (HSC), a fixed strength of guidance force equates to a fixed level of control authority, which can be insufficient for complex tasks. An adaptable control authority based on operator input can allow the HSC system to better assist the operator under varied conditions. In this paper, we experimentally investigate (n...

Future human spaceflight exploration missions to the Moon and beyond are hypothesised to benefit from human-robotic integrated operations. The European Space Agency focuses on preparing these operations, following the objective stated in the Global Exploration Roadmap of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group. Currently, human-robot...

Haptic guidance is a promising way to support Un-manned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators, but the design of haptic guidance forces is often heuristic. This paper describes the design and experimental validation of a systematic neuromuscular analysis based tuning procedure for haptic guidance, here applied to haptic collision avoidance system for UAV...

Teleoperation – performing tasks remotely by controlling a robot – permits the execution of many important tasks that would otherwise be infeasible for people to carry out directly. Nuclear accident recovery, deep water operations, and remote satellite servicing are just three examples. Remote task execution principally offers two extremes for cont...

This paper introduces a new Learning from Demonstration (LfD)-based method that makes usage of robot effector forces and torques recorded during expert demonstrations, to generate force-based haptic guidance reference trajectories on-line, that are intended to be used during haptic shared control for additional operator 'guidance'. Derived haptic g...

In this paper, we propose a closed-loop force sensor based nested admittance/impedance control strategy to actively estimate and minimize the effects of geometric misalignment that naturally occur during assembly tasks with compliant robots. The method allows the robot to be used with a stiff impedance control setting, which is beneficial for free...

On June 5th at 21:10 CEST, the European Space Agency's Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory conducted the first in history haptic handshake between space and Earth. This demonstration was part of the Haptics-2 experiment, which makes use of two haptic joysticks; one located in space onboard the International Space Station (ISS), and the other one on...

On July 28th 2014, 23:47 UTC, the European Space Agency launched the Haptics-1 Kit to the International Space Station (ISS) on its last Automated Transfer Vehicle ATV-5. The Kit reached the station two weeks later, marking the first haptic master device to enter the ISS. The first force-feedback and human perceptual motor performance tests started...

In a typical space teleoperation task, mismatches between the viewing direction of the operator and the direction of their required control input are often unavoidable. To execute these tasks, the operator is then required to perform mental rotations. Recent studies have shown that the task performance can thereby significantly decrease. In this pa...

In this paper a new model-mediated teleoperation framework based on rate-control input is presented. The system facilitates force feedback teleoperation and is inherently robust to severe time delays yet still provides high level of rate/force tracking fidelity. Previously published methods on model-mediated teleoperation are here extended to accep...

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of inaccuracies of haptic guidance systems during execution of constrained tasks. The Lawrence teleoperation framework is extended in this paper by addition of an impedance type, position based attractive haptic guidance and analyzed from a control system perspective. Specifically, we focus on sys...

This presentation introduces the scope of ground-based robotic satellite simulator testbeds, developed to simulate free-floating behaviour of objects in space in all 6 degrees of freedom. The presentation outlines various technological approaches for such simulators and reviews limitations and effects imposed by control-rate of available commercial...

This presentation / conference paper outlined the path towards the definition and implementation of the INTERACT experiment that was carried out later on-board the International Space Station. The presentation highlights the experiment protocols Protocol-1 and Protocol-2 related with real-time robotic remote operations and shows which control techn...

Recently, multiple organizations have started being interested in advancing developments related to the implementation of a first full satellite servicing or de-orbiting mission in space. Multiple related ground facilities have been established in Germany, in the U.S. and at other places. All those facilities have the goal to develop and ground-ver...

The goal of this work is to introduce a complete direct teleoperation system which can be used to execute 6-DOF tasks with force-feedback over an uncertain delayed communication link. The system implementation is based on the Sensoric Arm Master portable exoskeleton as the master device commanding an impedance-controlled Kuka Lightweight manipulato...

Learning from Demonstration has been successfully used in robotics for trajectory generation. However, this methodology has not been used to solve generic tasks by haptic guidance in teleoperation yet. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to solve the peg-in-hole insertion task using Learning from Demonstration, guiding the operator during the execu...

Haptic guidance systems can support the operator in task execution using additional forces on the input device. Scaling of the guidance forces determines the control authority of the support system. As task complexity may vary, one level of the guidance scaling may be insufficient, and adaptation of the control authority may be helpful. The availab...

This research investigates a neuromuscular analysis based tuning procedure for haptic shared control systems that has been hypothesized to improve subjective operator workload when compared to heuristic tuning methods. Here, the tuning proce-dure takes into consideration the response of the neuromuscular system to haptic cues. Human arm stiffness,...

This paper introduces the Haptics-1 ISS Payload and experiment, which has been developed by ESA's Telerobotics & Haptics Laboratory. Haptics-1 allows conducting a first extensive set of human factor measurements and measurements of variability of human motor-control capabilities of the upper extremity during extended exposure to microgravity. Hapti...

We describe initial steps in the design of a haptic shared control system for obstacle avoidance in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) teleoperation. In the considered scenario, the operator is supported by force feedback on the control interface, by which a seamless integration of his commands and the assistance from an automatic collision avoidance sy...

We analyze Kinect as a 3D measuring device, experimentally investigate depth measurement resolution and error properties and make a quantitative comparison of Kinect accuracy with stereo reconstruction from SLR cameras and a 3D-TOF camera. We propose a Kinect geometrical model and its calibration procedure providing an accurate calibration of Kinec...

We analyze Kinect as a 3D measuring device, experimentally investigate depth measurement resolution and error properties and make a quantitative comparison of Kinect accuracy with stereo reconstruction from SLR cameras and a 3D-TOF camera. We propose Kinect geometrical model and its calibration procedure providing an accurate calibration of Kinect...