Development of a Vision-Guided Shared-Control System for Assistive Robotic Manipulators

Abstract

Assistive robotic manipulators (ARMs) provide a potential solution to mitigating the difficulties and lost independence associated with manipulation deficits in individuals with upper-limb impairments. However, achieving efficient control of an ARM can be a challenge due to the multiple degrees of freedom (DoFs) of an ARM that need to be controlled. This study describes the development of a vision-guided shared-control (VGS) system and how it is applied to a multi-step drinking task. The VGS control allows the user to control the gross motion of the ARM via teleoperation and commands the ARM to autonomously perform fine manipulation. A bench-top test of the autonomous actions showed that success rates for different subtasks ranged from 80% to 100%. An evaluation with three test pilots showed that the overall task performance, in terms of success rate, task completion time, and joystick mode-switch frequency, was better with VGS than with teleoperation. Similar trends were observed with a case participant with a spinal cord injury. While his performance was better and he perceived a smaller workload with VGS, his perceived usability for VGS and teleoperation was similar. More work is needed to further improve and test VGS on participants with disabilities.

Application of High-Photoelasticity Polyurethane to Tactile Sensor for Robot Hands

“…The development of low-cost grasping systems is desirable, not only in the field of mobile robotic dollies, but also in the medical and nursing care fields [ 66 ]. In this system, when a robot hand grasps a cup filled with a drink and carries it to a care recipient, the operator performs grasping operations while observing the cup and the robot hand with the robot’s camera.…”

Exploring Control Authority Preferences in Robotic Arm Assistance for Power Wheelchair Users

“…In AutonSof mode, control alternates between the joystick and autonomous software, involving predefined autonomous actions as a shared control [18]. In this mode, the participant managed the robotic arm's gross motions using the joystick.…”

“…A combination of manual and software assistance exists in shared control and shared autonomy platforms, which have been explored extensively-encompassing blended approaches [14][15][16][17], discrete switches [18,19], and mutual adaptation strategies [20] that augment manual control with autonomous functions-without investigating where in a task the user might prefer assistance most. Literature surveys distinguish between sharing paradigms, classifying shared control as autonomous functions initiated by the user and shared autonomy as autonomous functions initiated by the system (see [21]).…”