Dexterous Manipulation for Non-Line-of-Sight Articulated Manipulators

Hstar proposes an advanced robotic dexterous manipulator D-Man for enhancing the capabilities of autonomous operation that must: 1) provide advanced dexterous manipulation and sufficient strength to open doors and load/unload container boxes up to 500-1000lbs, 2) navigate intelligently with a mobile holonomic drive, 3) work safely and robustly in telepresence mode and local autonomous mode, and 4) perform reliably under inclement conditions. No robotic system currently exists that would meet all of these needs. Hstar proposes an enhanced hydraulic Series Elastic Actuator based manipulator that is capable of advanced dexterous manipulation, haptic feedback and safe operation with local autonomous control as well as telepresence operation control. This D-Man system will be capable of complex dexterous manipulation such has door opening, and will be strong enough to load/ unload container boxes up to 500-1000lbs. In addition, our mobile robotic platform will provide holonomic control capable of full maneuverability using omnidirectional wheel technology. Our telepresence operation control and local autonomous control will provide for safe and robust operation in the ISO container applications in conjunction with available technologies. This system design will be include support for logistics and supply chain integration and will also applicable to future robotic MULE applications.