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Innovative VR Glove for Astronaut Rover Control on Mars

Addressing long time delays in extravehicular activities during manned Mars missions by introducing a Virtual Reality glove as a precise and efficient control system for rover-based exploration. Enhancing mobility, response time, and training ease for astronauts. Project includes gesture recognition, state selection, and device-specific output. Integration into the spacesuit for seamless operation. Improved navigation and target selection. Results from obstacle course testing show promise for future developments.

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Innovative VR Glove for Astronaut Rover Control on Mars

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  1. Penn State Mars Society RASC-AL 2003 Integrated Astronaut Control System for EVA

  2. Problem Statement • Future of space exploration: manned missions to Mars • Exploration issues • Long time delay from Earth • EVAs far from home base • These issues never previously encountered fully

  3. Exploration Applications • Soil and rock samples • Surveying the Martian terrain • Scientific observation

  4. Spacesuit • Bulkiness makes mobility difficult • Lack of flexibility • Gloves • Hand fatigue • Difficult to grasp objects • Solution: Rover accompanies astronaut

  5. Rover Assisted Exploration • Rovers: tried and true Martian explorers • Useful toolkit for astronauts on EVAs • On-site rover control by astronauts • Variety of rover control systems • Joystick • Trackball • VR glove

  6. Rover Control • Past: Control from Earth • Supercomputers • Delay due to transmission over large distance • Joystick control • Future: On-site control by astronaut • Joystick and trackball not practical • VR Glove

  7. Design Requirements • Fine-tuned control • No overlap between commands • Efficient response to commands • Simplicity and ease of training • Transmission efficiency (range and power) • Multitasking

  8. Virtual Reality Gloves • Simulates the environment for practical purposes • Flight training • Education • Capabilities • Six degrees of freedom • Many more states than conventional controllers • Feedback Data

  9. Integration into the Spacesuit • Characteristics: • Mobility & Flexibility • Robust Function • Simple & Reliable • VR Glove is small • Lightweight • Thin fibers • Best Place to Install: • Max. sensitivity to hand motions • Between first and second layers

  10. Our Solution • 5DT Data Glove • ActivMedia Pioneer 2-AT rover • SmileCam camera • Steering and camera control by VR glove

  11. Project Timeline

  12. Gesture Control System • Data Input and Filtering • Gesture Recognition • State Selection • Device-Specific Output

  13. Data Input and Filtering • Independent Input and Filter per hand • Raw glove data calibrated to user's range of motion • Exponential filter to smooth noisy data • Muscle Twinges • Cardiovascular pulses

  14. Gesture Recognition • Hand sensor readings • 7.2e16 possible combinations! • Effect of finger dependencies with imprecise control: Not this many are realistic • Continuous Control: Mealy Model • Discrete Control: Moore Model • Hybrid Control

  15. State Selection • Each hand operates independently • Certain states locked out to other hand • Root state allows external operation

  16. Device-Specific Output • Translates gesture state into reasonable device output • Models exist for pan/tilt cameras, motion bases, and external microcontrollers

  17. Player/Stage • Player: Robot device server • Abstracts device specifics from control class • Designed for networked operation from any language that supports TCP/IP • Stage: Simulator for Player controllers • Provides simulated environment for controller development • Utilizes same binary interface as Player

  18. Rover Navigation • Uses Player's PositionDevice class • Translates glove finger position and roll into rotational and translational velocities

  19. Target Selection • Translates glove gestures to control PanTilt device class • Manages selection of interesting targets

  20. A Brief Demonstration

  21. Testing Obstacle Course requires: 1. Figure Eight 2. Arcing Turn 3. Reverse 4. Slalom Three Input Devices: Glove Joystick Trackball

  22. Course Results • User B has more training than User A • Joystick is the fastest method • Trackball is significantly slower

  23. Results Analysis • Results analyzed in the context of remote operations • Joystick is faster, but the glove has other advantages

  24. Future Developments • Touch Sensors • Force Feedback • More useful user feedback • Menuing • Sounds • Force Feedback • Autonomy in Tracking and Navigation

  25. Questions

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