Using 3D Mice to Control Robot Manipulators

Fluid 6DOF teleoperation of robot manipulators enables telemanipulation where autonomy is not possible, facilitates the collection of demonstration data, and aids routine robotics development. Amongst 6DOF input devices, 3D mice stand apart for their ergonomic design and low cost, but their sensitivity and users' relative inexperience with them require special design considerations. We contribute a web software package that makes integrating 3D mice in robot manipulation interfaces easy. The package consists of confgurable input signal processing schemes that can make the device more forgiving by, for instance, rejecting small inputs or emphasizing a dominant axis, and an interactive visual representation of the device's 6DOF twist input, which helps with operator familiarization and provides a visual aide during teleoperation. We provide a demonstration interface illustrating a typical integration with a ROS/ROS2 robot system and give usage advice based on our research experience.