Development of remote control system for robot manipulator using Android operating system

This work describes the robot manipulator prototype remote control system which is controlled by smartphone. Conventional remote control methods require considerable technical equipment: computer, joysticks and other accessories. Greater amount of equipment is harder to transport than working mobile work. Remotely operated robots are used for various works: working with hazardous chemicals, in the rescue operations after various natural disasters, in underground pipe installation and repair work, working on unstable surfaces and other works. Remote control techniques are used to manage industrial robots and robots that facilitate human life. This paper describes the new robotic remote control mode, which is based on the smart phone with Android operating system. This new technology can replace conventional robot control techniques: computer, joysticks and other accessories. This work describes an innovative remote control system consists of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250 smartphone with Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system and the installed accelerometer and gyroscope sensors, the robot manipulator, specialized smartphone and robot manipulator software. Smartphone software is designed so that the robot manipulator can be controlled using special hand gestures and control buttons. To identify human hand gestures are used accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. The accelerometer sensor is measuring static and dynamic acceleration. By measuring the amount of static acceleration due to gravity, smartphone software can get information about angle the smartphone is tilted at with respect to the earth. By sensing the amount of dynamic acceleration, smartphone software can get information about the way the smartphone is moving. The gyroscope sensor is measuring angular acceleration. Specialized smartphone software is using two control modes: robot manipulator control using only hand gestures and robot manipulator control using hand gestures and control buttons. Specialized smartphone software programmed to recognize eleven different hand gestures of operator. Using only hand gestures control mode, smartphone software recognize all eleven hand gestures to control robot manipulator. When enabled other control mode, smartphone software using five hand gestures and buttons to control robot manipulator. To transfer information between smartphone and robot manipulator used Bluetooth. Tests carried out by the robot manipulator has been successfully operated remotely using the control buttons and human hand gesture recognition. Smartphone software successfully send management commands to robot manipulator, when operator made any of eleven hand gestures. Robot manipulator successfully accomplished all received control commands and send back information to smartphone