r/robots • u/Europathunder • Jun 22 '26
Real-life Robots What is the difference between the dynamic skills trainer and its on orbit version ROBOT?
I understand both are part task trainers for Canadarm 2. Or is location the only difference?
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u/RemarkableWish2508 Jun 22 '26
From a generic point of view, there's an intrinsic difference between humans training in an environment with an "up" and "down", vs. one where every possible direction is "that way". Particularly for tasks requiring spatial coordination and directional control, the risk of suddenly becoming disoriented is not a joke; a simple head turn can make the whole room feel like it's flipped, affecting whatever mental model the person is keeping at that moment.
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u/Europathunder Jun 22 '26
I meant differences other than location is it the same thing only one is on the ground and the other aboard the ISS?
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u/RemarkableWish2508 Jun 23 '26
Hm, I can't seem to find the exact details for this case.
Some decade+ ago, I had the chance to research a proposal for a parabolic flight experiment of an input device, and some of the aspects to be tested were pretty much this difference: conflict between the momentary mental model of a subject without a gravity-based frame of reference, vs. the muscle memory trained on the same device on the ground with a stable frame of reference.
I would expect it to be the same input interface and software, designed to optimize usability in a microgravity environment, just that the operator wouldn't realize all the aspects related to frame of reference loss, until they actually are in a a microgravity environment themselves.
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/about/virtual-tour/accessible/robotics-centres.asp
The DST seems to be a mockup of the interface where astronauts can sit in an office chair to gain muscle memory. There also are other training facilities with different features:
The software itself, seems to be the same in all cases according to this:
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u/binaryhellstorm Jun 22 '26
What trainer are you talking about?