Teleoperator servoloop tuning using an expert system

The development of an expert system for optimizing the controls tuning of a gear and shaft force-reflecting servomanipulator is discussed. Remote maintenance techniques have produced hot-cell manipulators that do not require hands-on-repair. However, these manipulators are difficult to tune owing to the conflicting priorities of maximizing operator sensation of force reflection and minimizing operator fatigue in combination with the complex nonlinear control algorithms and cross-coupled motions. Owing to the heuristic nature of this tuning problem and the emphasis on human perception of performance, an expert system has been developed as an alternative to algorithmic optimization of gains