→ INTERACT SPACE EXPERIMENT

Technical Features
→ INTERACT CENTAUR
The mobile robotic platform called the Interact Centaur was specifically designed to
be able to maneuver through rough terrain at high speeds and to have the dexterity
to perform very delicate and precise manipulation tasks through remote control.
The custom vehicle design was brought from concept to reality in little over a year.
ROBOTIC PAN-AND-TILT NECK AND HEAD
A robotic 6 degrees of freedom Neck gives the
cameras in the rover’s head an enormous field of
view, good for driving and for close visual
inspection tasks.
REAL-TIME CAMERAS
The rover has 4 dedicated real-time streaming
cameras that the astronaut can use during the
mission. A head pan-tilt camera that will allow
general contextual overview of the situation
during driving and exploration of the
environment. A tool camera mounted on the
right robotic arm for vision during precise tool
manipulation. Two hazard cameras (front and
back) to view the near proximity area otherwise
occluded by the chassis during driving.
COMPUTING
The robot makes use of seven high performance
computers running software that has been
programmed in a highly modular, model-based
and distributed way.
EXTERIOR DESIGN
A custom-made exterior protects all delicate
mechatronic and computing hardware from dust
and ensures a good thermal design.
ROBOTIC ARMS
Two KUKA lightweight robotic arms on the front
of the rover allow the operator to perform very
precise manipulation tasks. The arms can be
‘soft controlled’ to safely interact with humans
or delicate structures and can be programmed to
be compliant (like a spring and or damper) when
they hit an object. The arms are equipped with
highly ‘force sensitive’ sensors and can flex and
adapt in a similar manner to human arms during
remote control. This allows to tightly couple
those arms to an operator located far away by
means of haptic (i.e. force-transmitting)
interfaces. Their operation during the Interact
experiment is very intuitive, allowing delicate
and dexterous remote operations to take place
across very long distances with the finest
amount of force feedback to the operator despite
the communication time delay.
ROVER MOBILE PLATFORM
The drivetrain and wheels for the Interact
Centaur are a customized version of the remote
controlled platform manufactured by AMBOT.
This battery-powered, four-wheel-drive, fourwheel
steering platform is weatherproof and
gives the rover over 8 hours of run-time in
challenging terrains.