Supervisory teleoperation control using computer graphics

A description is given of a system developed for supervisory control of a telemanipulator to deal with unique characteristics of teleoperation. A six-degree-of-freedom telemanipulator is graphically simulated on an IRIS workstation. There are two modes to control the telemanipulator: manual mode and supervisory mode. In the manual mode, the operator guides the manipulator using a 6D optical sensor ball; in the supervisory mode, the operator specifies a task using a menu and a mouse to point an object and a location. The system checks possible manipulator collisions with obstacles in the environment. If the system detects an impending collision in the supervisory mode, it uses heuristics to avoid it. The system can generate virtual obstacles that occupy space that the operator cannot observe through a camera. Virtual obstacles are updated by geometric logic operations whenever viewing conditions such as the camera position are changed. Such virtual obstacles are used for collision checking and collision avoidance