Modular controller architecture for multi-arm telerobotic systems

This paper presents a modular control architecture for multi-arm telerobotic systems. It provides a platform for the implementation of various robot control and planning schemes, as well as a framework for quickly transferring academic research to real-world applications. The advantage is exemplified by the transfer of an intelligent planning and control scheme for telerobotic systems to Sandia National Laboratories. The intelligent planning and control scheme accepts the human supervisory control and autonomous control into one seamless unit. It combines the strength of both human and autonomous control to achieve a safe, robust, and reliable operation. More importantly, the results presented in this paper demonstrate the importance of developing an efficient mechanism for transferring research and technology developed in the academic environment to the national laboratories and eventually into practical applications. It could be a crucial step towards the cross-development of robotic technology in our university, industrial, and national laboratories. The modular controller presented in this paper surely is an important step in this direction.