Rosie Mobile Worksystem

Rosie is a tethered mobile worksystem designed for decontamination and dismantlement applications. Its primary purpose is to position tooling for such tasks as disassembly, washdown, demolition, surface removal, waste material size reduction, and packaging. Several work scenarios are possible with Rosie: Rosie alone could be deployed to perform hazardous or dangerous tasks; several robotic systems could be deployed and operate within the same area; or it could be a direct assistant to human workers.

The system consists of three main components, the control center, the power distribution unit, and the robot, which includes the locomotor and heavy manipulator. The locomotor base measures 6 ft wide by 9.5 long and 3.5 ft high; since the heavy manipulator extends above and in front of this envelope, the overall dimensions of the robot are 6 ft x 14 ft x 8 ft (w x l x h). The overall weight of the machine is about 14,000 lb; its primary motions are hydraulically powered.

Rosie's design is modular in nature to allow components to be added or removed, yielding several different configurations. The two main modules are the locomotor and the heavy manipulator. The locomotor provides mobility to carry the heavy manipulator to the work area. The heavy manipulator can then deploy tools or smaller more dexterous manipulators from its tip. In this modular concept, the heavy manipulator can be removed from the locomotor allowing other equipment to be deployed from its deck.

The heavy manipulator can accommodate a variety of more dexterous equipment, including the

Dual-Arm Work Module (developed by RedZone Robotics under a separate contract). Alternately, a single manipulator or heavy tool (e.g., a jackhammer) can be deployed. Tooling services available at the boom tip include hydraulic (15 gpm @ 3000 psi) and electric (20A @ 120VAC).

The system is able to survive inadvertent collisions with obstacles while driving or manipulating. As much as possible, all cables and hoses will be protected from damage by running them internal to the structure or protecting them in guides. We are focusing on keeping the design simple and over-designing key areas to reduce the likelihood of failure. Critical components in the electrical and hydraulics systems will be easily accessible and can be modularly replaced. In radioactive situations, whole modules, such as the tether reel or electronics enclosure, can be removed for remote maintenance.

Locomotor

The locomotor is an electrohydraulic omni-directional mobile platform with specifications as shown in the following table:


Width (extensions in)	76 in
Width (extensions out)	136 in
Height	42 in
Length	114 in
Obstacle Climb	4 in (max.)
Ground Clearance	6 in
Min. Turning Radius	about center
Max. Speed	2 ft

The frame is a truss structure which supports wheel modules at each corner. Each wheel module has independent drive and steer motions providing an omni-directional capability. The wheels are controlled in any of three driving modes:

4-wheel steer mode allows the front and rear sets of wheels to steer in opposite directions. This mode allows Rosie to drive along the path of an arc whose center is on the centerline pointing to either side of the machine.
crab steer mode allows all four wheels to steer in the same direction, allowing Rosie to translate linearly in any direction.
rotate-about-point mode allows the operator to define a point in space that Rosie is to rotate about. In this mode, Rosie can rotate around the tip of the heavy manipulator, around the center of an axle, or around the center of the robot.

The front two wheels are mounted on extensions which can extend the front wheel spread from 76 in to 136 in. The rear two wheels are mounted on a beam which pivots at the center to provide ą2 in of vertical travel for obstacle negotiation. Located within the locomotor frame is the hydraulic power supply, which is a 60 HP supply, providing 30 GPM at 3,000 psi for all robot motions. Filters and all locomotor valving are located in one of two side enclosures on the frame. The other side enclosure contains all control electronics for the system. At the rear of the machine is the tether reel which carries up to 200 feet of cable.

Heavy Manipulator

The heavy manipulator is mounted on the deck of the locomotor towards the rear. It is a four degree-of-freedom mechanism providing a long reach, high load capability. It can carry up to 1700 lb with a 5000 ft-lb moment load, at a distance of 20 ft from the shoulder joint. Load capability of the heavy manipulator is limited primarily by tip-over concerns. The heavy manipulator consists of four joints; a waist motion on the locomotor deck, a shoulder pitch, a forearm extension and a wrist pitch at the tip of the forearm. Ranges of motion are:


waist rotation	+/- 170 degrees
shoulder pitch (extensions out)	-20 to +90 (wrt horizontal)
boom extension	10 to 20 ft
wrist pitch	+/- 90 degrees

Each of the four joints has integral position feedback and is servo controlled based on operator commands. The joints can be controlled in either of two modes:

joint motion mode allows the operator to individually control each joint on the heavy manipulator. This mode allows the operator to directly control the configuration of the system.

coordinated motion mode allows the operator to control the Cartesian position of the endpoint of the heavy manipulator while the computer calculates the resulting joint positions. This motion mode is useful for tasks where the operator must move parallel to a floor or wall or is not moving in a confined area.

User Interface

Rosie's console provides a control location for the system. It combines hard controls for the primary motions of the robot with a touch screen for control of secondary and auxiliary functions. Software on the console monitors all operator inputs and displays system status. on-board Rosie, the console commands are interpreted and turned into actuator commands. There are several important issues to consider in designing the control center, including ergonomics, flexibility, and aesthetics. With respect to ergonomics, it is expected that the operator will spend long periods of time completing a D&D task. Therefore, it is important that the operator is comfortable, that all controls are placed within reach, that lighting and glare be considered, and that audio and video cues alert the operator to potential problems. The audio/video system takes multiple camera views and microphone inputs from the robot and displays them at the console. Rosie can carry up to ten cameras including:

4 cameras with remote focus, zoom, lights, and pan and tilt motions
3 cameras with remote lights and tilt motions (fixed focus)
3 cameras with remote lights (fixed focus)

All cameras are modular to allow easy replacement or relocation in order to accommodate different tooling or task requirements.

Software

The on-board controller and console software runs on a VME-based 68040 Motorola CPU under the VxWorks 5.1.1 real-time operating system. The on-board software is responsible for communicating with the off-board console, monitoring all on-board sensors, and controlling all on-board actuators. The console software is responsible for monitoring the visual display/touch screen system and all additional hardware devices (e.g. switches and joysticks) at the console panel and sending the console information to the on-board software. The two systems communicate via an Ethernet connection. The software is intended to be transparent to the operator and no keyboard or mouse is required to run the system.

Power & Telemetry

The power and telemetry subsystem allows power and signals to be transmitted from the console to the locomotor and routed on-board to the various sensors and actuators. A Power Distribution Unit (PDU) located between the console and robot provides a location to tie into the higher voltage site power used to power Rosie's hydraulic system. All signals from the console pass through the PDU and are combined with the power and routed into the tether. When operating in a contaminated location, the PDU can be located within containment, minimizing the penetration of conductors into containment. Rosie uses a tether to transmit all power, control, and video signals to and from the robot.

The heart of the electrical system on Rosie is enclosed in a sealed box mounted on the left side of the locomotor. This enclosure houses step-down transformers, two 6U VME controller subracks, power supplies, video modulation equipment, and four heat exchanger units.