Automatic Animation Generation of a Teleoperated Robot Arm

In this paper we describe the Automatic Task Demonstration Generator (ATDG), a system implemented into a software prototype for teaching the operation of a robot manipulator deployed on the International Space Station (ISS). The ATDG combines the use of path planning and camera planning to take into account the complexity of the manipulator, the limited direct view of the ISS exterior, and the unpredictability of lighting conditions in the workspace. The pathplanning algorithm not only avoids obstacles in the workspace as is normal for a path-planner, but in addition takes into account the position of corridors for safe operations and the placement of cameras on the ISS. The camera planner is then invoked to find the right arrangement of cameras to follow the manipulator on its trajectory. This allows the on-the-fly production of useful and pedagogical task demonstrations to help the student carry out tasks involving the manipulation of the robot on the ISS. Even if the system has been developed for robotic manipulations, it could be used for any application involving the filming of unpredictable complex scenes.