A Reusable and Flexible Control Station for Preparing and
Executing Robotics Missions in Space


Fontaine Bernard
bf@sas
SAS

Co-Authors: Leif Steinicke Gianfranco Visentin

Abstract:

Introduction
============

Although robotics space missions can have different profiles, they all
have to face the same typical challenges: 
- how to economically set up  a workstation for control and
  monitoring of a space robot;
- how to efficiently and safely operate this robot remotely via a
  communication chain characterised by low bandwidth and appreciable
  end-to-end delays.

FAMOUS (Flexilble Automation Monitoring and Operation User Station) is
a re-usable (hence, economic), flexible and robust control station to
support the user throughout the mission preparation phase, and to safely
monitor and control the robot during the mission itself, by supporting
Interactive Autonomy mode of control.

Body
====

Re-usability is achieved through implementation of an adaptable control
station made of a series of predefined components from which a 
mission-specific control and monitoring station can be established with
a minimum of effort. This involves mainly component configuration and
model implementation; coding of additional software components is limited
to those that are really specific to the actual mission.
The FAMOUS components are designed to support the Interactive Autonomy
mode of control. In such a mode, all basic robot servicing tasks are first
prepared and validated by means of off-line programming and simulation 
tools during a preparation phase. Afterwards, during the mission execution
phase, the operator may combine these pre-defined tasks to actually perform
the robotics operations and submit tasks to the robot by sending simple
high-level commands over the low bandwidth communication channel.
The resulting robot movements are anticipated by simulation on FAMOUS and
confirmed a few seconds later via the downlink.

Conclusion
==========

FAMOUS will be first used as the mission preparation and control environment
for the SPIDER robot arm on the JERICO mission. Due to its flexibility,
FAMOUS can readily be configured for any type of mission involving robotics.