Abstract
The construction of large and precise antennas is one of the most important challenges in the development of space infrastructures. Using robots is an effective method for constructing very large and precise antennas in space. The Communication Research Laboratory (CRL) developed an antenna designed to be assembled in space for use in future space communication infrastructures and has been studying teleoperation technologies for controlling space robots. The initial experiments for testing the assembly of this antenna in space are being conducted using Engineering Test Satellite VII (ETS-VII), which was launched in November 1997. ETS-VII, which is the first robotic satellite, was developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA); it is equipped with six-DOF manipulators and antenna-assembling mechanisms developed by the CRL. Here, we briefly describe these experiments, including master-slave experiments using space robots, and our evaluation of the audio feedback system, which uses an eye-mark recorder.
