The remote manipulator described consists of two arms: a 3-DOF main lifting arm (aerial device), and a 6-DOF robot manipulator (treejib) mounted at the upper end of the aerial device. Each arm is single-joint rate controlled, with the reference joint rate being proportional to the corresponding joint displacement of a corresponding hand controller. Both controllers are kinematically equivalent to each of the two arms. Two of the treejib joints are instrumented for position feedback, and the corresponding hand controller joints are motorized and also position controlled. This ensures that no excessive force is exerted on the tool during contact with the branches. The system is of a master-slave rate controlled force reflective type. The design presented has novel features such as a quick connect-disconnect coupler for hydraulic tools and a force reflective master in a form of a small kinematic replica of the slave. The system has been extensively field tested. The results were very promising, however several modifications to the basic concept used to automate the specific operations are necessary.>

The authors present the design, development, and implementation of a kinematic calibration procedure for robot manipulators working in coordination in a multiple robot facility. The objectives of this work were two-fold: (i) to identify the individual kinematic parameters of each robot, such as the link lengths, joint angles, etc., and (ii) to identify the global kinematic parameters of the multiple robot environment, such as the relative positions and orientations of the individual robot base frames. The identification required a multidimensional numerical root seeking procedure that behaved better than the traditionally used Newton-Raphson technique. A development of such a procedure (customized to the requirement of calibration) is outlined. The procedure was found to be extremely robust, as it handles the complexity of the model of five bar mechanism quite efficiently.>

A remote manipulator was developed for forestry operations to relocate operators away from hazardous operations. The operations of tree trimming are performed in the vicinity of live electrical distribution lines, generating a hazard for the operator. The remote manipulator has two major subsystems: a three degree-of-freedom (DOF) aerial device acting as the main lifting arm, and a six DOF manipulator mounted at the end of the aerial device. Each arm was rate controlled with the reference rate provided by the displacement of a corresponding hand controller, which was kinematically equivalent to the manipulator. The mechanical design, the control system of the remote manipulator, and the results of field tests are described.>