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Title: An investigation of a passively controlled haptic interface

Conference ·
OSTI ID:459427
 [1];  [2]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
  2. Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Mechanical Engineering

Haptic interfaces enhance cooperation between humans and robotic manipulators by providing force and tactile feedback to the human user during the execution of arbitrary tasks. The use of active actuators in haptic displays presents a certain amount of risk since they are capable of providing unacceptable levels of energy to the systems upon which they operate. An alternative to providing numerous safeguards is to remove the sources of risk altogether. This research investigates the feasibility of trajectory control using passive devices, that is, devices that cannot add energy to the system. Passive actuators are capable only of removing energy from the system or transferring energy within the system. It is proposed that the utility of passive devices is greatly enhanced by the use of redundant actuators. In a passive system, once motion is provided to the system, presumably by a human user, passive devices may be able to modify this motion to achieve a desired resultant trajectory. A mechanically passive, 2-Degree-of-Freedom (D.O.F.) manipulator has been designed and built. It is equipped with four passive actuators: two electromagnetic brakes and two electromagnetic clutches. This paper gives a review of the literature on passive and robotics and describes the experimental test bed used in this research. Several control algorithms are investigated, resulting in the formulation of a passive control law.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-96OR22464
OSTI ID:
459427
Report Number(s):
CONF-970464-11; ON: DE97002982; CNN: Grant IRI-9526322; TRN: 97:007646
Resource Relation:
Conference: 7. American Nuclear Society topical meeting on robotics and remote systems, Augusta, GA (United States), 27 Apr - 1 May 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English