Design issues in 2-port network models of bilateral remote manipulation

A two-port impedance-network model of a single-degree-of-freedom remote manipulation system in which a human operator at the master port interacts with a task object at the slave port in a remote location is presented. The design of the network involves the selection of feedback gains for the servomechanisms that transmit motion and force information from one port of the two-port to the other in both directions. The proposed methodology allows this selection to be based on both stability requirements and specifications of desired port impedances, given models of the task and the human operator. The resulting design guidelines guarantee stability for any passive task object at the slave port and any passive human impedance at the master port.<>