The Teleoperated Rail Robot exhibit features a thirty five inch long electromechanical robot arm mounted on a ten foot long rail system which allows the arm to glide from one end of the exhibit to the other. The exhibit's unique configuration allows the museum visitor to guide the arm by direct view through polycarbonate windows and by telepresence through a color monitor and CMOS camera which is directly mounted on the arm.
    The task involves retrieving and placing a series of colored spheres on appropriate pedestals within a specified time. If you are successful a congratulations message lights up and it also speaks it. The exhibit activity times out after a preset interval and resets the spheres to the exhibit floor plain. The entire middle run of the exhibit is totally encased by clear polycarbonate which allows dozens of people to view the exhibit while it is being operated. The electromechanical arm is designed in a totally open format, all the parts and the key components that operate it are visible for maximum educational merit. Each finger and thumb independently operate. The wrist turns, the elbow moves, as does the shoulder through both the horizontal and vertical axis. The rail is comprised of two tubular steel guides, aircraft grade cable and UHMW mounts. The gear motors that operate the rail and arm are quality Dayton gear motors. The fingers and thumb are actuated by Bicron electric solenoids. The rail combined with the reach of the arm allows a total reach of approximately fourteen feet by 36''. The exhibit challenges a visitors skill and dexterity while providing a unique format to study the engineering principles of a robot arm.