Manipulator arm design for the Extravehicular Teleoperator Assist Robot (ETAR): Applications on the space station

The preliminary conceptual design of a new teleoperator robot manipulator system for space station maintenance missions has been completed. The system consists of a unique pair of arms that is part of a master-slave, force-reflecting servomanipulator. This design allows greater dexterity and greater volume coverage than that available in current designs and concepts. The teleoperator manipulator is specifically designed for space applications and is a valuable extension of the current state-of-the-art earthbound manipulators marketed today. The manipulator and its potential application on the space station are described.