Low-cost semi-autonomous manipulation technique for explosive ordnance disposal robots

Abstract

Robotic manipulators used on current EOD robotic platforms exhibit very few autonomous capabilities. This lack of autonomy forces the operator to completely control manipulator movements. With the increasing complexity of robotic manipulators, this can prove to be a very complex and tedious task. The development of autonomous capabilities for platform navigation are currently being extensively researched and applied to EOD robots. While autonomous manipulation has also been researched, this technology has yet to appear in fielded EOD robotic systems. As a result, there is a need for the exploration and development of manipulator automation within the scope of EOD robotics. In addition, due to the expendable nature of EOD robotic assets, the addition of this technology needs to add little to the overall cost of the robotic system. To directly address the need for a low-cost semi-autonomous manipulation capability for EOD robots, the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) proposes the Autonomous Robotic Manipulator (ARM). The ARM incorporates several semi-autonomous manipulation behaviors including point-and-click movement, user-defined distance movement, user-defined angle positioning, memory locations to save and recall manipulator positions, and macros to memorize and repeat multi-position repetitive manipulator movements. These semi-autonomous behaviors will decrease an EOD operator's time on target by reducing the manipulation workload in a user-friendly fashion. This conference paper will detail the background of the project, design of the prototype, algorithm development, implementation, results, and future work.