Latest R&D Journal paper available online

The latest R&D Journal paper published is now available on the SAIMechE website for viewing/downloading. The paper is titled: "A User Interface for a Seven Degree of Freedom Surgical Robot", by J.S. Heunis, C. Scheffer and K. Schreve.

Brief abstract: This paper presents the design of a joystick-type user interface for the master-slave control of a seven degree of freedom (DOF) minimally invasive surgical robot. The joystick is a seven DOF all revolute articulated arm. The electronic design implements AS5040 magnetic rotary encoders for the joystick’s position and orientation tracking. The control system required the mathematical modelling of the joystick and robot using the Denavit-Hartenberg convention. Testing demonstrates the intuitiveness of the joystick control.