Systematic Tele-operation with Augmented Reality Path Planned Navigation Cues in Cluttered Environments

A novel method of providing human operators with Augmented Reality (AR) cues for collision-free navigation of robot arms in cluttered environments is described. The cues are graphic objects that aid the operator to rotate and translate the end-effector of the robot along AR collision-free paths pre-computed by a probabilistic path planner. Manual control of robot arms is a common mode of tele-manipulation on the International Space Station (ISS). Limited depth perception of the remote robot's 3D worksite can result in collisions with severe consequences. This paper combines the qualities of a planning algorithm to search for ideal paths, and the benefits of augmented reality for enhanced visualization. Presenting spatial path information to the user in an intuitive manner results in collision-free robot navigation along with performance repeatability. We present findings from the implementation of such a system with human operators and show that the system is beneficial.