Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM
Monday, October 31, 2011 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium
Ron Diftler
"Robonaut 2"
ABSTRACT -- Robonaut 2, or R2, arrived on the International Space Station in February 2011 and is currently undergoing testing. R2's first use will be as an Intra-Vehicular Activity (IVA) tool. Over time, it will evolve int an Extra-Vehicular Activity (IVA) tool. For approximately one year, the fixed base R2 will perform a variety of experiments using a reconfigurable task board that was launched with the robot. While working side-by-side with human astronauts, Robonaut 2 will actuate switches, will use standard tools, and will manipulate Space Station interfaces, soft goods and cables. These experiments will help improve techniques for controlling dexterous robots both in space and on Earth, while showing the wide range of tasks that a dexterous humanoid can perform.
Roboanut 2 was developed by NASA and General Motors. It is a humanoid design, but includes only a torso, not a full body. Important features of the design are allowing humans to interact comfortably with the robot, and allowing the robot to use equipment designed for humans.
Robonaut-2's improvements over the earlier model include: increased force sensing, greater range of motion, higher bandwidth, and improved dexterity. Despite the improvements, the new version is more compact and uses less wiring than the original. The design is modular throughout.
SPEAKER -- Dr. Ron Diftler serves as the Robonaut Project Leader at the NASA Johnson Space Center. He has led this team through the R2 collaboration with GM as NASA's industrial partner, as well as during previous collaborations with DARPA, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, MIT, UMass, USC, Rice, CMU, and the Institute for Human-Machine Cognition. Dr. Diftler is also a member of the International Architecture Working Group (focused on evaluating robotic systems for future space applications,) which has representation from China, Europe, Canada, and Japan. He holds a B.S.E. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University. He has published more than 50 peer reviewed technical papers in robotic systems and helicopter dynamics. He has 11 patents currently in process or awarded in the field of robotics. Dr. Diftler is a recipient of a 2009 NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Award, a 2004 NASA Public Service Medal, and the 2005 IEEE Humanoids Conference Best Paper Award.