ESA ATV-5 Haptics-1 experiment: Touchy-Feely Body-Mounted Joystick

Body-mounted astronaut joystick for the Haptics-1 experiment, developed by ESA's Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory as part of the multi-agency Meteron (Multi-Purpose End-to-End Robotic Operation Network) initiative, investigating telerobotics for space. 

The Haptics-1 experiment is being flown to the ISS by ATV-5 in summer 2014. 

Credit: ESA

Stowed inside ESA’s next supply ship to the International Space Station will be one of the most advanced joysticks ever built, designed to test the remote control of robots on the ground from up in orbit.

Due to be launched this summer, the Automated Transfer Vehicle will deliver more than five tonnes of propellant, supplies and experiments to the orbital outpost.

The consignment includes the first sustained test of how astronauts experience touch-based feedback in weightlessness.

The experiment comes down to a deceptively simple-looking lever that can be moved freely to play basic Pong-style computer games.

Performance readings from these games, along with follow-up questionnaires, will analyse the effects on human motor control when exposed to long-term weightlessness, and how feedback feels in orbit.

ATV-5 logo

Behind the scenes, a complex suite of servo motors can withstand any force an astronaut operator might unleash on it, while generating forces that the astronaut will feel in turn – just like a standard video gaming joystick as a player encounters an in-game obstacle.

The difference in orbit is that, to quote Isaac Newton, ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’ – so to prevent the joystick’s force feedback pushing its free-floating user around it is mounted to a body harness that can be fixed in turn to standard Station equipment.

“Getting the hardware to be extremely precise yet incredibly sturdy was the project’s main challenge,” explains André Schiele, head of ESA's Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory, overseeing the experiment.

Haptics-1 setup

“The resulting system can produce minute forces most people are not sensitive enough to feel, but astronauts could kick it and it will still work and respond correctly.”

Seven different tests are planned so far, with more in the pipeline – new tests can be uploaded easily.

A touchscreen tablet will be used to load software and conduct the experiments.


A video trailer of the proposed ESA Project METERON (Multi-Purpose End-To-End Robotic Operation Network). 

METERON is a technology demonstration experiment including the International Space Station ISS. A set of novel haptic control devices (Force-reflecting joystick, exoskeleton, 3D display) will be used by Astronauts from on-board the ISS to control robotic systems on ground. 

Technology validation will be for transparent bi-lateral telemanipulation, shared autonomous operations and autonomous operations. 

The METERON experiment will validate technology candidates for future exploration mission usage. 

METERON is an ESA-led mission proposal with intended participation by DLR, Roscosmos and NASA

Perfect skin: More touchy-feely robots

Robots could become a lot more 'sensitive' thanks to new artificial skins and sensor technologies developed by European scientists. 

Leading to better robotic platforms that could one day be used in industry, hospitals and even at home.

The new capabilities, and a production system for building touch-sensitivity into different robots, will improve the way robots work in unconstrained settings, as well as their ability to communicate and cooperate with each other and with humans.

The EU-funded project 'Skin-based technologies and capabilities for safe, autonomous and interactive robots' (ROBOSKIN) developed new sensor technologies and management systems which give robots an artificial sense of touch - until now an elusive quality in robotics.

According to the partners behind the research from Italy, Switzerland and the UK, it was important to create cognitive mechanisms that use tactile feedback (the sense of 'touch' or 'feel') and behaviour to make sure human-robot interaction is safe and effective for the envisaged future applications.

The artificial skin is modelled largely on real skin, which has a tiny network of nerves that sense or feel changes like hot/cold or rough/smooth.

In this case, the electronic sensors collect this so-called 'tactile data' and process it using application software which has been front-loaded to include some basic robot behaviours which can be added to over time.

'Here, we opted for programming through demonstration and robot-assisted play so the robots learn as they go along by feeling, doing and interacting,' explains project coordinator Professor Giorgio Cannata of Genoa University, Italy.

Giorgio Cannata

'We had to generate a degree of awareness in the robots to help them react to tactile events and physical contact with the outside world,' he adds.

Kaspar the friendly robot
But robot cognition is extremely complex, so ROBOSKIN started with modest ambitions in lab tests by classifying types or degrees of touch.

They created a geometric mapping using continuous contact between the test robot and the environment to build a 'body representation' - parameters by which data can be assimilated by the robot into behaviour.

KASPAR

Outside the lab, on the other hand, ROBOSKIN sensor patches were applied to common touch points (feet, cheeks, arms) located on the University of Hertfordshire's KASPAR robot, a humanoid robot designed to help autistic children communicate better.

'With our sensors, the robot could sense or detect contact and the data collected formed an important part of the contact classification we did - the distinction between, for example, wanted and unwanted touch,' explains Prof. Cannata.

ROBOSKIN scientists explored various technologies, from the more basic capacitive sensors in today's sensing technologies, to higher-performing transducers found in piezoelectric materials, and flexible organic semiconductors.

'We'll see more and more piezoelectric materials - which can act like sensors because they react to changes brought on by contact with an outside force - in the near future,' predicts Prof. Cannata.

But sensors using organic semiconductors will be the future game-changer, he suggests, as you will be able to print the chips on different organic materials like fake skin or bendable materials, and they will eventually be much cheaper to make, once scaled up.

More information: 'Skin-based technologies and capabilities for safe, autonomous and interactive robots' website.