A wearable interface for intuitive control of robotic manipulators without user training

Vinicius B.P. Fernandes, Jared A. Frank, Vikram Kapila

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a wearable interface that exploits the user's natural arm movements to intuitively control a robotic manipulator. The design is intended to alleviate the time and effort spent in operating the robotic manipulator, regardless of the age and technological experience of the user. The interface is made to be low-cost, comfortably worn, and easy to put on and remove. Kinematic models of human and robot arms are used to produce a natural mapping from the user's arm movements to the commanded movements of the robotic manipulator. An experiment is conducted with 30 participants of varied ages and experience to assess the usability of the wearable interface. Each of the participants is assigned to perform a pick and place task using two of three different interfaces (the wearable interface, a game controller, and a mobile interface running on a tablet computer) for a total of 60 trials. The results of the study show that the wearable interface is easier to learn compared to the alternative interfaces and is chosen as the preferred interface by the participants. Performance data shows that the users complete the pick and place task faster with the wearable interface than with the alternative interfaces.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationEngineering Systems; Heat Transfer and Thermal Engineering; Materials and Tribology; Mechatronics; Robotics
PublisherWeb Portal ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
ISBN (Electronic)9780791845851
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
EventASME 2014 12th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis, ESDA 2014 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Duration: Jul 25 2014Jul 27 2014

Publication series

NameASME 2014 12th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis, ESDA 2014
Volume3

Other

OtherASME 2014 12th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis, ESDA 2014
Country/TerritoryDenmark
CityCopenhagen
Period7/25/147/27/14

Keywords

  • Interface
  • Manipulator
  • Robot
  • Wearable

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computational Mechanics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Modeling and Simulation

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