From: Christian.Bauer@uibk.ac.at
Subject: PUB: Rotex at VRV'93
Organization: University of Innsbruck, Austria

To be presented at "Virtual Reality Vienna '93":

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*                                                                    *
*   "The Telerobotic and Telepresence Concepts of ROTEX              *
*   - The First Robot in Space"                                      *
*                                                                    *
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Prof. Gerd Hirzinger
DLR (German Aerospace Research Establishment)
Oberpfaffenhofen, D-82234 Wessling

Abstract:

End of April 93 for the first time in the history of space flight a
small, multisensory robot has performed a number of prototype tasks on
board a spacecraft (spacelab D2 on shuttle COLUMBIA) in the most
different operational modes that are feasible today, namely
preprogrammed (and reprogrammed from ground), remotely controlled
(teleoperated) by the astronauts using a control ball and a stereo-TV-
monitor, but also remotely controlled from ground via the human
operator as well as via machine intelligence. In these operational
modes the robot successfully closed and opened connector plugs
(bajonet closure), assembled structures from single parts and captured
a free-floating object.

The paper focusses on the key technologies, which made this space
robot technology experiment ROTEX a big success: multisensory gripper
technology, local (shared autonomy) sensory feedback control concepts,
and the powerful delay-compensating 3D- graphics simulation
(predictive simulation) in the telerobotic ground station.

(...)

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If you are interested in more information contact:

 Christian Bauer
 Hoettinger Gasse 8
 A-6020 Innsbruck
 Austria / Europe

 Tel +43 512 29 57 60
 Fax +43 512 28 16 98
 christian.bauer@uibk.ac.at