Applying masking tape to a particular area is a very important step for protecting an uninvolved surface in processes like mechanical part repairing or surface protection. In the past, the task was very time-consuming and required a lot of manual works. In recent years, with some advances in the fields of automatic robotic system and computer vision, the task now can be completed with the help of an automatic taping system containing a 3D scanner, a manipulator and a rotating platform. This implementation has been proved to provide better quality and be at least twice as fast as comparing to the work done by a human operator. However, there are still some limitations of this setup. First, it is difficult for the user to monitor the taping process since the system uses the 3D scanner to reconstruct the surface model and there is no calibrated projector to overlay the manipulator's trajectory over the real surface. Second, the main user is supposed to use a computer with keyboard and mouse to identify the area for masking which requires some expert knowledge and might not be appropriate in an industrial context where people wear protective equipment such as gloves or helmet. This paper introduces the use of spatial augmented reality technology and wearable device in the semi-automatic taping robotic system and the related calibration algorithms to enhance the user experience. The framework and its components are presented, with a case study and some results.
Autonomous and semi-autonomous mobile robots have been deployed to cooperate with humans in many industrial applications. These tasks require human and robot to communicate and present information quickly and effectively. Recent human-robot interfaces usually use a setup including a camera and a projector attached to the mobile robot to project the information to the floor or to the wall during the interaction process. However, there are some limitations to these interfaces. First, using a projector for projecting information seems to be fine for an indoor application. On the contrary, it is very difficult or even impossible for users to view this source of information in outdoor contexts. This makes the current framework inappropriate for many outdoor industrial tasks. Secondly, as the projector is the only device for exchanging information between human and robot, the human-robot interacting process is insecure and people who work in the same environment can control the robot in the same manner as the main operator. Finally, the current interfaces normally use mouse, keyboard or a teach pendant to provide task information to the robot. This approach poses some difficulties if the main operator is working in an industrial context where he is supposed to wear protective equipment such as gloves or helmets which make it hard to control a mouse or to type on a keyboard. This work proposes a new interface framework for humancomputer interaction in industry that can overcome the current limitations of previous works. The framework uses a laser-writer instead of a projector which is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. Furthermore, the combination of see-through head-mounted display augmented reality and spatial augmented reality would provide the system a novel way to enhance the security level of exchanging information since the system now can separate the information presenting to the main user and to people working in the same environment. Finally, a novel hand-held device is incorporated to the framework which provides various input modalities for users to interact with the mobile robot. The device will allows the elimination of mouse and keyboard or teach pendants in industrial contexts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.