Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!udel!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!netnews.srv.cs.cmu.edu!gerry From: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: 6 DOF Joysticks Message-ID: Date: 7 Dec 90 14:41:26 GMT References: <18232@hydra.gatech.EDU> <1990Dec6.232210.2638@sctc.com> Sender: netnews@cs.cmu.edu (USENET News Group Software) Reply-To: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Distribution: na Organization: Field Robotics Center, CMU Lines: 37 In-Reply-To: smith@sctc.com's message of 6 Dec 90 23:22:10 GMT In article <1990Dec6.232210.2638@sctc.com> smith@sctc.com (Rick Smith) writes: >I am interested in finding out information on the development of 6 DOF >joysticks by various people. In particular , I am interested in the >manner that the motions of the joystick are converted into a motion for >the robot. The work that was done at JPL was headed up by Dr. Tony Bejczy, the last number I have for him is (818) 354-4568. Or, try writing to him at: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ms 198-330 4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena, California, 91109 Another person you might try to track down is Bill Townsend, who recently completed a PhD at MIT. He has done extensive work in this area and has produced some interested "joystick" designs. Ideally, you want the kinematics of the joystick (well, hand controller) to match that of the robot. Actually, this statement is very far from the truth. You want your master arm, i.e. the joy stick, to be constructed in such a fashion that it is easily operable by the human; and you want the slave arm to be designed to achieve the required task in the best possible fashion. Connecting the two is a computer which performs the kinemtic translation required. Furthermore, tests done at JPL and elsewhere have shown that to perform meaningful tasks, force reflection is required and that time delay from your sensors (cameras, force sensors, etc) will seriously degrade performance. gerry -- gerry roston, field robotics center robotics institute, carnegie mellon university pittsburgh, pennsylvania, 15213 (412) 268-6557 gerry@cs.cmu.edu