THE USE OF MULTISENSOR DATA FOR ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS

Space applications can be greatly enhanced by the use of robotics and automation in activities such as orbital inspection and maintenance. Partial or full autonomy capabilities in space systems will enhance safety, reliability, productivity, adaptability, and will reduce overall cost. At the core of a robotic system is the ability to acquire, fuse, and interpret multisensory data to generate appropriate actions in the performance of a given task. The feasibility of realistic autonomous space manipulation tasks using multisensory information is presented. This is shown through two experiments involving a fluid interchange system and a module interchange system. In both cases, autonomous location of the mating element, autonomous location of a guiding light target, mating, and demating of the system are performed. Specifically, vision-driven techniques were implemented that determine the arbitrary two-dimensional position and orientation of the mating elements as well as the arbitrary three-dimensional position and orientation of the light targets. The robotic system is also equipped with a force/torque sensor that continuously monitors the six components of force and torque exerted on the end effector. Using vision, force, torque, proximity, and touch sensors, the fluid interchange system and the module interchange system experiments were accomplished autonomously and successfully. © 1990 IEEE