Modeling and Design of an Electro-Rheological Fluid Based Haptic System for Tele-Operation of Space Robots

In this paper a novel haptic interface is presented to enable human-operators to "feel" and intuitively mirror the stiffness/forces at remote/virtual sites enabling control of robots as human-surrogates. The proposed haptic interface is intended to provide human operators intuitive feeling of the stiffness and forces at remote or virtual sites in support of space robots performing dexterous manipulation tasks (such as operating a wrench or a drill). Remote applications are referred to the control of actual robots whereas virtual applications are referred to simulated operations. The developed haptic interface will be applicable to IVA operated robotic EVA tasks to enhance human performance, extend crew capability and assure crew safety. The novel device that is presented here employs Electro-rheological Fluids (ERF), which are electroactive polymers that change their viscosity when electrically stimulated.