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A Bimanual Teleoperation Framework for Light Duty Underwater Vehicle-Manipulator Systems

Justin Sitler, Srikarran Sowrirajan, Brendan Englot, Long Wang

TL;DR

The paper addresses the barrier to entry in underwater manipulation by introducing an open-source, bimanual teleoperation framework for a light-duty UVMS driven by two low-cost haptic devices. It develops UVMS kinematics and an independent resolved motion rate control for each manipulator, complemented by a leader-follower mapping from haptic input to end-effector poses and a vehicle control scheme, all validated in a physics-based Gazebo/UUV Simulator environment across two tasks. The key contributions are the kinematic model for dual manipulators with RMRC, the haptic-based trajectory mapping, and the demonstration of real-time, coordinated control including a dual-manipulator grasp. This framework lowers entry barriers for research and prototyping in underwater manipulation and offers a reusable, open-source tool for researchers, with future directions including macro-level autonomy, haptic-assisted guidance, and real-world testing.

Abstract

In an effort to lower the barrier to entry in underwater manipulation, this paper presents an open-source, user-friendly framework for bimanual teleoperation of a light-duty underwater vehicle-manipulator system (UVMS). This framework allows for the control of the vehicle along with two manipulators and their end-effectors using two low-cost haptic devices. The UVMS kinematics are derived in order to create an independent resolved motion rate controller for each manipulator, which optimally controls the joint positions to achieve a desired end-effector pose. This desired pose is computed in real-time using a teleoperation controller developed to process the dual haptic device input from the user. A physics-based simulation environment is used to implement this framework for two example tasks as well as provide data for error analysis of user commands. The first task illustrates the functionality of the framework through motion control of the vehicle and manipulators using only the haptic devices. The second task is to grasp an object using both manipulators simultaneously, demonstrating precision and coordination using the framework. The framework code is available at https://github.com/stevens-armlab/uvms_bimanual_sim.

A Bimanual Teleoperation Framework for Light Duty Underwater Vehicle-Manipulator Systems

TL;DR

The paper addresses the barrier to entry in underwater manipulation by introducing an open-source, bimanual teleoperation framework for a light-duty UVMS driven by two low-cost haptic devices. It develops UVMS kinematics and an independent resolved motion rate control for each manipulator, complemented by a leader-follower mapping from haptic input to end-effector poses and a vehicle control scheme, all validated in a physics-based Gazebo/UUV Simulator environment across two tasks. The key contributions are the kinematic model for dual manipulators with RMRC, the haptic-based trajectory mapping, and the demonstration of real-time, coordinated control including a dual-manipulator grasp. This framework lowers entry barriers for research and prototyping in underwater manipulation and offers a reusable, open-source tool for researchers, with future directions including macro-level autonomy, haptic-assisted guidance, and real-world testing.

Abstract

In an effort to lower the barrier to entry in underwater manipulation, this paper presents an open-source, user-friendly framework for bimanual teleoperation of a light-duty underwater vehicle-manipulator system (UVMS). This framework allows for the control of the vehicle along with two manipulators and their end-effectors using two low-cost haptic devices. The UVMS kinematics are derived in order to create an independent resolved motion rate controller for each manipulator, which optimally controls the joint positions to achieve a desired end-effector pose. This desired pose is computed in real-time using a teleoperation controller developed to process the dual haptic device input from the user. A physics-based simulation environment is used to implement this framework for two example tasks as well as provide data for error analysis of user commands. The first task illustrates the functionality of the framework through motion control of the vehicle and manipulators using only the haptic devices. The second task is to grasp an object using both manipulators simultaneously, demonstrating precision and coordination using the framework. The framework code is available at https://github.com/stevens-armlab/uvms_bimanual_sim.
Paper Structure (13 sections, 14 equations, 7 figures)

This paper contains 13 sections, 14 equations, 7 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. UVMS Kinematics
  3. Forward Kinematics
  4. Resolved Motion Rate Control
  5. Teleoperation
  6. Commanding Manipulator Trajectory
  7. Vehicle Teleoperation
  8. Control Architecture
  9. Simulation Model
  10. Vehicle Model
  11. Manipulator Model
  12. Simulation Results
  13. Conclusion

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: User workspace for bimanual teleoperation framework
  • Figure 2: Coordinate frames used in the kinematic model. Frame indices $\{j,i\}$ begin with $j=1$ at the base of the manipulator and $j=6$ equivalent to the end-effector frames $\{L\}$ and $\{R\}$
  • Figure 3: Control architecture for bimanual teleoperation of UVMS
  • Figure 4: Coordinate frames of haptic devices and manipulators, including anchor frames
  • Figure 5: Task 1 demonstration: controlling vehicle and manipulators using haptic devices
  • ...and 2 more figures