Multi-Operator/Multi-Robot Teleoperation: an Adaptive Nonlinear Control Approach

Cooperative telerobotic systems consist of multiple pairs of master/slave robotic manipulators operating in a shared environment. This paper presents a multilateral adaptive nonlinear control architecture for cooperative teleoperation. The proposed framework allows for transmission of position and force information between all master and slave robots rather than merely between corresponding units. An adaptive nonlinear controller establishes kinematic correspondence among masters and slaves. The operators are presented with a virtual intervening tool in order to collaboratively interact with the environment. Models of operators, master and slave robots, tool, and environment are incorporated in the design. The stability of the system in the presence of parametric uncertainty in the dynamics is proven via Lyapunov analysis. Simulation and experimental studies demonstrate that the proposed approach is highly effective in all phases of a teleoperation task, i.e. in free motion, in contact with a flexible environment, and in contact with a rigid environment.