  Collaborative space robots are an emerging technology with high impact as
robots facilitate servicing functions in collaboration with astronauts with
higher precision during lengthy tasks, under tight operational schedules, with
less risk and costs, making them more efficient and economically more viable.
However, human-robot collaboration in space is still a challenge concerning key
issues in human-robot interaction, including mobility and collaborative
manipulation of objects on a microgravity environment. In this paper we
formulate an algorithm that enables a free-flyer robot, equipped with a
manipulator, to perform an object handover between a human and a free-flyer
robot, in a microgravity environment. To validate and evaluate this algorithm,
we present a systematic user study with the goal of understanding the
subjective outcome effects of a rigid and compliant impedance robot behavior
during the interaction. The results showed that the rigid behavior was overall
more preferable and registered higher transfer success during the tasks.

Robotics