The paper addresses the problem of the generation of collision-free trajectories for a robotic manipulator, operating in a scenario in which obstacles may be moving at non-negligible velocities. In particular, the paper aims to present a trajectory generation solution that is fully executable in real-time and that can reactively adapt to both dynamic changes of the environment and fast reconfiguration of the robotic task. The proposed motion planner extends the method based on a dynamical system to cope with the peculiar kinematics of surgical robots for laparoscopic operations, the mechanical constraint being enforced by the fixed point of insertion into the abdomen of the patient the most challenging aspect. The paper includes a validation of the trajectory generator in both simulated and experimental scenarios.
Beyond robot hardware and control, one major element for an efficient, constructive and safe mission of teleoperated robots in disaster scenarios such as Fukushima is the quality of the connection between operator and robot. In this contribution, we present the concept of using an exoskeleton and utilizing 3D simulation as a central interface component for the operator to intuitively collaborate with mobile teleoperated robots. keywords: 3D simulation, exoskeleton, force feedback, operator interface
