© ESA/DLR

The Robot Command Terminal for the 'Surface Avatar' experiments is located in the Columbus module of the International Space Station ISS. In addition to a laptop with a graphical user interface, the robots can be commanded via two input stations: Using the sigma joystick (left), ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt can intuitively control the movement and viewing directions of the various robots. The interaction device (right) can be used to control the arms of the robots as if they were his own. The control is regulated via seven degrees of freedom. Thanks to built-in force feedback, the astronaut feels what the robot 'feels' by sensing the corresponding resistance when the robot touches or grips something.