Preparing a new generation of space robots - A survey of research at DLR

Abstract This paper outlines DLR's robotic developments over the last years. They aim at designing a new multisensory, modularly configurable light weight robot generation in a unified and integral mechatronics approach. Historically the first step in this direction has been the development of a complex multisensory gripper for ROTEX, the first real robot in space, that flew with shuttle COLUMBIA in early 1993. In a similar way sensors and actuators in DLR's new ultra-light-weight seven-degree-of-freedom (d.o.f.) robot show up miniaturized integration of mechanics, electronics and microprocessor control including joint torque sensing and control. This paper also outlines the concept of the “artificial muscle” and its use for the design of multijoint fingers of new modular, articulated robot hands. Implicit, task-level programming following a “learning by showing” approach in a virtual environment is the main feature of our telerobotic system based on the ROTEX experience with its highly efficient any-time mixture of sensor-based teleoperation and sensor-based teleprogramming. This hierarchical four-level programming control system covers internal servicing tasks in the same way as external servicing applications in the context of an experimental servicing satellite (ESS).