Control system design for tokamak remote maintenance operations using assisted virtual reality and haptic feedback

To meet the future electricity demands, tokamak based nuclear fusion machine is an attractive option for the researchers. The availability and reliability of these machines over a reasonable time span will be largely dependent on the planning of the remote maintenance scheme. The efficiency of the remote maintenance operations can be effectively increased by designing specialized remote handling control systems with high precision and accuracy. Huge efforts are needed to equip the RH operators with the advanced technologies that provide the real knowledge and interactions with the operating environment without being physically present. This can be achieved by using virtual reality techniques for tele-presence that may be extremely beneficial for the offline training as well as in assisting during the online RH operations. This paper outlines a concept with prototype experiments for an interactive control system using virtual reality integration and haptic feedback. Virtual 3D models of the complete work-cell have been developed and are updated synchronously for the monitoring and controlling of the robotic equipment. Force reflection servo type control strategy has been employed for the master-slave control. The proposed control system architecture and results from various test cases have been summarized here.