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Handling & Safety

Safety

  • Never touch the robot close to its joints when it's turned on, in particular avoid the region around the ankle bars. There is high risk of squeezing. Even when the robot is turned off, be aware of squeezing hazards.
  • The robot must be secured by crane (mobile or ceiling crane) at any point in time. Also while switching the cranes!
  • Do not leave the robot alone during charging.
  • The battery is 72 Volts. Be mindful of high voltage in the case of failures or when replacing the battery.

Turning On the Robot

  1. Release both E-Stops.
  2. Activate the robot's main power by turning on the green power switch located on the back.
  3. Press the left round button on the back. This will boot the onboard PCs.
  4. Allow a few minutes for the PCs to complete their boot sequence.
  5. Open the [WebCommander] interface by visiting http://talos-7c:8080 in your web browser.

  6. Crucially, ensure the robot is lifted clear of the ground before proceeding.

    Lift the robot!

    Always ensure that the robot is in the air before running the [Initialization Script] to enable proper sensor checks.

  7. Initiate the Initialization Script.

    Understanding the Initialization Script

    The Initialization Script is located on the control PC at the path /opt/pal/ferrum/lib/talos_controller_configuration. You can start it from the [WebCommander] by navigating through the interface: Controllers Initialization.

    This script will:

    • Start the default controller, causing the robot to stretch its legs and lift its arms.
    • Zero the torque-sensors.
    • Check the force-torque sensors (expecting no external forces).

  8. Start the DefaultController. You can now put the robot on the floor.

Turning the Robot off

  1. Make sure that the crane holds the weight of the robot. There shouldn't be slack in the ropes.
  2. Make sure that there won't be any (self-)collisions once the motors are unpowered.
  3. Short-press the left round button on the robots back to shut down the PCs. Get ready to catch some links if they fall down (e.g. the hands). However, they should fall quite slow anyway due to friction / gear reduction.
  4. After a few seconds, the links will fall down (align with gravity).
  5. Turn off the robot by flipping the green switch on its back.
  6. Lower the crane so that it barely touches the floor. The unactuated joints will be compliant, so lowering too much will get it into a bad configuration.

Charging the Robot

  1. Release both E-Stops
  2. Ensure that the charger is turned off.
  3. Connect the output of the charger with the input at the robot's waist. You have to insert at 10 o'clock position and then rotate clockwise.
  4. Turn on the charger. Both LED should be red, indicating that the charger is powered and charging
  5. If the robot is fully charged, the 2nd LED will turn green.
  6. First power off the charger, then unplug it

Using the Robot during Charging

It is fine to charge the robot while it is turned on. Indeed, you need to have it turned on if you want to monitor the charging progress. You can also control the robot while it's charging, but be aware of the short charging cable!

Switching Cranes