The Robotics Primer Workbook Developed by  USC, iRobot® and Microsoft® Robotics Studio

Categories: Exercise | Player Exercise | Microsoft Robotics Studio Exercise

Locomotion:Exercise4-Teleoperation

Contents 1 Overview 2 Setup 2.1 Gumstix Option 2.2 Microsoft Robotics Studio Option 3 The Problem

Overview

Teleoperation is basically remote-control of a mechanical system. It is a technique that can be used when direct human-expertise is required, for example with robotic surgery. However, controlling a robot manually can be a challenging task with a steep learning curve. In this exercise you will manually control a robot to perform simple tasks and evaluate your performance.

Setup

For this exercise, you will need the Gumstix hardware or the Microsoft Robotics Studio. There is no need to write any code for this exercise.

Gumstix Option

In order to manually control the robot, start the Player server on the robot.

 $ ./player player.cfg

The run the Exercise 4 pre-built code on a separate PC.

 $ ./teleop client.xml

You will see the standard GUI interface, and can control the robot using the sliders at the bottom.

Microsoft Robotics Studio Option

From the Control Panel in Internet Explorer, start the Roomba Generic Drive Service with the following manifest:

samples\Config\iRobot.Roomba.DriveDashboard.manifest.xml

You will see the Robotics Studio Dashboard interface, and can control the robot using the wheel at the top.

The Problem

1. Using the GUI, manually drive the robot in a straight line for 2m, a box with side lengths of 2m, and a circle with a radius of 2m. Describe your results.
   1. How accurate where your shapes?
   2. What were the primary difficulties with controlling the robot manually?
   3. How did your manually driven square compare to the square produced autonomously in Exercise 1?