Human Factors Design and Evaluation of China’s Space Manipulator Teleoperation System

Abstract

Space manipulators are important for the assembly, construction, operation, and maintenance of space stations. To ensure that the manipulator system on the China Space Station (CSS) is user-friendly, the human factors engineering team has carried out extensive studies on the human factors design and evaluation of the space manipulator teleoperation system from three aspects: the technical process, research on ergonomic requirements, and ergonomic evaluation. This article systematically combs the technical process and index system of the human factors design and requirements research on CSS manipulator teleoperation system, which has guided the optimization of space manipulator engineering. This article expounds the research work on ergonomic requirements and suggestions related to manipulator teleoperation through experimental research on cognitive characteristics and human factors in display and control interfaces. We focus on human factors experimental research for camera type and handle polarity, and a recommended scheme for camera display and handle polarity has been screened out accordingly. Finally, the human-in-the-loop ergonomic evaluation method is demonstrated with a cooperative manual control task. The research results have facilitated the human factors design and optimization improvement of the space manipulator manipulator system, and have contributed significantly to the safe and smooth completion of astronaut extravehicular activities on the CSS.