Development of an Optionally Piloted Vehicle using a Humanoid Robot

Abstract

When converting a conventional manned aircraft into an unmanned, the aircraft must be extensively modified. Typically, it is necessary to install servomotors on the control stick or in the flying surfaces to actuate the control surfaces of the aircraft. This procedure is timeconsuming and has to be repeated all over again when another vehicle has to be modified. Moreover, this approach leaves many vital functionalities such as light switches and landing gear switches on the console unattended. Instead, a humanoid robot that is capable of accessing all of the input devices in the cockpit using its dexterous hands is envisioned. Further, the robot can be equipped with various sensors and computing devices to detect the vehicle’s motion and cameras, read the dials and gauges in the cockpit and calculate appropriate amounts for actuating various input devices. As this goal is a very large task, we have conducted preliminary research using a low cost humanoid robot, which controls an airplane in a flight simulator using a joystick and a throttle lever. Various kinematic parameters of the robot mechanism are studied for proper control. A feedback controller for the entire robot-joystick-flight simulator system is designed and implemented. This paper presents initial tests that show promising results when using a humanoid robot to replace human pilot.