A teleoperation system for micro positioning with haptic feedback

This paper presents the research work on a 1 Degree of Freedom (DOF) macro-micro teleoperation system which enables human operator to perform complex task in micro environment such as cell insertion with the capability of haptic feedback. To reach submicron resolution, a nano-motion piezo actuator was used as the slave robot and a servo DC motor was used as the master robot. Force sensors were implemented at both ends for haptic feedback and a microscope equipped with camera was employed for real-time visual feedback. The hysteresis nonlinearity of the piezo motor was modeled using LuGre friction model and compensated for. A Sliding Mode Based Impedance Controller (SMBIC) was designed at the slave side to ensure position tracking while an impedance force controller was designed at the master side to ascertain tracking of the force. Control parameters were chosen based on Llewellyn stability criteria such that the entire system stays stable against parameter uncertainties and constant time delay. The experimental results demonstrated capability of the proposed control frameworks in desirable tracking of the position and force signals while the entire system remained stable. The results of this study can be used for complex tasks in micron environment such as cell insertion.