Estimation of Energy Absorption Capability of Arm Using Force Myography for Stable Human-Machine Interaction

Abstract

Human-robot interactions help in various industries and enhance the user experience in different ways. However, constant safety monitoring is needed in environments where human users are at risk, such as rehabilitation therapy, space exploration, or mining. One way to improve safety and performance in robotic tasks is to include biological information of the user in the control system. This can help regulate the energy that is delivered to the user. In this work, we estimate the energy absorbing capabilities of the human arm, using the metric Excess of Passivity (EOP). EOP data from healthy subjects were obtained based on Forcemyography of the subjects' arm, to expand the sources of biological information and improve estimations. Clinical relevance-This protocol can help determine the ability of rehabilitation patients to withstand robotic stimulation with high amplitudes of therapeutic forces, as needed in assistive therapy.