Abstract: A master slave manipulator system includes a master arm having six or more axes of motion and an articulated slave arm having six or more axes of motion and being shaped in sharp contrast with the master arm. The master arm has an arm body with three axes perpendicular to each other and a wrist assembly connected to the arm body. The wrist assembly has a gripper disposed in a space of a size large enough for an operator to operate the gripper with his clutched hand in X, Y and Z directions and also has a pitch-axis, a yaw-axis and a roll-axis all disposed outside of the space. The pitch-axis, yaw-axis and roll-axis have output axes directed toward the gripper. The slave arm has an arm body with axes longitudinally stretchable or foldable into parallel positions, and a wrist assembly having three axes disposed in a space of predetermined dimensions in X, Y and Z directions. The output axes of the three axes of the slave arm wrist assembly are directed away from the mounting portions of these axes.

Abstract: After positional information of the master arm is transformed into first generalized world coordinates corresponding to positional information representing a calculated position of the slave arm, when a signal instructing an interruption of the associated operation between the master arm and the slave arm is received and then the positional relationships between the master arm and the slave arm connected thereto by use of an imaging device are updated, the first generalized world coordinates are transformed into the second generalized world coordinates based on the new positional relationships so as to restart the associated operation therebetween. The optimal control of the manipulator is conducted through matrix operations related to the change-over between imaging devices, the reset operation conducted in an area of the movable range of the master arm, and the alteration of the ratio between the movements of the associated operation.

Abstract: In a controlling apparatus of a manipulator equipped with a master arm and a slave arm, a processing device is provided for effecting scale conversion calculation of a calculation result representing the position data of the master arm for expansion or reduction, and for outputting the result of this calculation to the slave arm.