Walter W. Hankins

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Walter W. Hankins is a pioneering figure in the field of telerobotics, with his career centered on advancing the capabilities of remote manipulation systems for aerospace applications. His most significant contributions stem from his work at NASA Langley Research Center, where he was instrumental in the design and development of the Laboratory Telerobotic Manipulator (LTM). This novel, dual-arm system, featuring seven degrees of freedom per arm and force-reflecting master-slave control, represented a major leap in precision teleoperation. Hankins’ research focused on the critical human-machine interface, specifically the manual control of these complex systems. His work laid the groundwork for comparative evaluations of control input devices, directly impacting the design of interfaces for future space robotics. While his highly specialized publications have garnered targeted citations (4 each for his seminal papers on the LTM's design and control), their true impact is measured by their foundational role in NASA’s space construction and assembly research, including studies on robotic space construction and automated truss assembly. Hankins’ legacy is that of an engineer who bridged the gap between theoretical robotics and practical, mission-ready hardware for the demanding environment of space.