ROKVISS: Orbital Testbed for Tele-Presence Experiments, Novel Robotic Components and Dynamics Models Verification

Abstract

Space robotics will become a key technology for the exploration of the outer space and the operation and maintenance of space stations, satellites and other platforms, saving costs and relieving man from dangerous tasks. We do not have to wait until robots are really autonomous or intelligent. As by modern teleoperation and telepresence techniques, we are able to remotely control robot systems from ground in the sense of „prolonging man’s arm into space”. And concerning manipulative skills one has to keep in mind that in EVA (extravehicular activities), i.e. in free space, astronauts have to carry clumsy suits and gloves, which do not really allow more precise manipulation than an advanced robot hand could do. In addition, in case of IVA (intravehicular laboratory activities), where a robot hand would indeed have to compare with a natural human hand, the tasks are often simple and highly repetitive.