Human-robot interaction using a behavioural control strategy

PhD ThesisA topical and important aspect of robotics research is in the area of human-robot interaction (HRI), which addresses the issue of cooperation between a human and a robot to allow tasks to be shared in a safe and reliable manner. This thesis focuses on the design and development of an appropriate set of behaviour strategies for human-robot interactive control by first understanding how an equivalent human-human interaction (HHI) can be used to establish a framework for a robotic behaviour-based approach. To achieve the above goal, two preliminary HHI experimental investigations were initiated in this study. The first of which was designed to evaluate the human dynamic response using a one degree-of-freedom (DOF) HHI rectilinear test where the handler passes a compliant object to the receiver along a constrained horizontal path. The human dynamic response while executing the HHI rectilinear task has been investigated using a Box-Behnken design of experiments [Box and Hunter, 1957] and was based on the McRuer crossover model [McRuer et al. 1995]. To mimic a real-world human-human object handover task where the handler is able to pass an object to the receiver in a 3D workspace, a second more substantive one DOF HHI baton handover task has been developed. The HHI object handover tests were designed to understand the dynamic behavioural characteristics of the human participants, in which the handler was required to dexterously pass an object to the receiver in a timely and natural manner. The profiles of interactive forces between the handler and receiver were measured as a function of time, and how they are modulated whilst performing the tasks, was evaluated. Three key parameters were used to identify the physical characteristics of the human participants, including: peak interactive force (fmax), transfer time (Ttrf), and work done (W). These variables were subsequently used to design and develop an appropriate set of force and velocity control strategies for a six DOF Stäubli robot manipulator arm (TX60) working in a human-robot interactive environment. The optimal design of the software and hardware controller implementation for the robot system has been successfully established in keeping with a behaviour-based approach. External force control based on proportional plus integral (PI) and fuzzy logic control (FLC) algorithms were adopted to control the robot end effector velocity and interactive force in real-time. ii The results of interactive experiments with human-to-robot and robot-to-human handover tasks allowed a comparison of the PI and FLC control strategies. It can be concluded that the quantitative measurement of the performance of robot velocity and force control can be considered acceptable for human-robot interaction. These can provide effective performance during the robot-human object handover tasks, where the robot was able to successfully pass the object from/to the human in a safe, reliable and timely manner. However, after careful analysis with regard to human-robot handover test results, the FLC scheme was shown to be superior to PI control by actively compensating for the dynamics in the non-linear system and demonstrated better overall performance and stability. The FLC also shows superior performance in terms of improved sensitivity to small error changes compared to PI control, which is an advantage in establishing effective robot force control. The results of survey responses from the participants were in agreement with the parallel test outcomes, demonstrating significant satisfaction with the overall performance of the human-robot interactive system, as measured by an average rating of 4.06 on a five point scale. In brief, this research has contributed the foundations for long-term research, particularly in the development of an interactive real-time robot-force control system, which enables the robot manipulator arm to cooperate with a human to facilitate the dextrous transfer of objects in a safe and speedy manner.Thai government and Prince of Songkla University (PSU

Human-Machine Interfaces for Service Robotics

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

Investigating the influence of situations and expectations on user behavior : empirical analyses in human-robot interaction

Lohse M. Investigating the influence of situations and expectations on user behavior : empirical analyses in human-robot interaction. Bielefeld (Germany): Bielefeld University; 2010.Social sciences are becoming increasingly important for robotics research as work goes on to enable service robots to interact with inexperienced users. This endeavor can only be successful if the robots learn to interpret the users' behavior reliably and, in turn, provide feedback for the users, which enables them to understand the robot. In order to achieve this goal, the thesis introduces an approach to describe the interaction situation as a dynamic construct with different levels of specificity. The situation concept is the starting point for a model which aims to explain the users' behavior. The second important component of the model is the expectations of the users with respect to the robot. Both the situation and the expectations are shown to be the main determinants of the users' behaviors. With this theoretical background in mind, the thesis examines interactions from a home tour scenario in which a human teaches a robot about rooms and objects within them. To analyze the human expectations and behaviors in this situation, two main novel methods have been developed. In particular, a quantitative method for the analysis of the users' behavior repertoires (speech, gesture, eye gaze, body orientation, etc.) is introduced. The approach focuses on the interaction level, which describes the interplay between the robot and the user. In the second novel method, also the system level is taken into account, which includes the robot components and their interplay. This method serves for a detailed task analysis and helps to identify problems that occur in the interaction. By applying these methods, the thesis contributes to the identification of underlying expectations that allow future behavior of the users to be predicted in particular situations. Knowledge about the users' behavior repertoires serves as a cue for the robot about the state of the interaction and the task the users aim to accomplish. Therefore, it enables robot developers to adapt the interaction models of the components to the situation, actual user expectations, and behaviors. The work provides a deeper understanding of the role of expectations in human-robot interaction and contributes to the interaction and system design of interactive robots

Proceedings / 17. Workshop Computational Intelligence [Elektronische Ressource] : Dortmund, 5. - 7. Dezember 2007

Dieser Tagungsband enthält die Beiträge des 17. Workshops „Computational Intelligence“ des Fachausschusses 5.14 der VDI/VDE-Gesellschaft für Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik (GMA) und der Fachgruppe „Fuzzy-Systeme und Soft-Computing“ der Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI), der vom 5. – 7. Dezember 2007 im Haus Bommerholz bei Dortmund stattfindet. Der GMA-Fachausschuss 5.14 „Computational Intelligence“ entstand 2005 aus den bisherigen Fachausschüssen „Neuronale Netze und Evolutionäre Algorithmen“ (FA 5.21) sowie „Fuzzy Control“ (FA 5.22). Der Workshop steht in der Tradition der bisherigen Fuzzy-Workshops, hat aber seinen Fokus in den letzten Jahren schrittweise erweitert. Die Schwerpunkte sind Methoden, Anwendungen und Tools für • Fuzzy-Systeme, • Künstliche Neuronale Netze, • Evolutionäre Algorithmen und • Data-Mining-Verfahren sowie der Methodenvergleich anhand von industriellen und Benchmark-Problemen. INHALTSVERZEICHNIS T. Fober, E. Hüllermeier, M. Mernberger (Philipps-Universität Marburg): Evolutionary Construction of Multiple Graph Alignments for the Structural Analysis of Biomolecules G. Heidemann, S. Klenk (Universität Stuttgart): Visual Analytics for Image Retrieval F. Rügheimer (OvG-Universität Magdeburg): A Condensed Representation for Distributions over Set-Valued Attributes T. Mrziglod (Bayer Technology Services GmbH, Leverkusen): Mit datenbasierten Technologien und Versuchsplanung zu erfolgreichen Produkten H. Schulte (Bosch Rexroth AG, Elchingen): Approximationsgenauigkeit und dynamisches Fehlerwachstum der Modellierung mit Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Systemen C. Burghart, R. Mikut, T. Asfour, A. Schmid, F. Kraft, O. Schrempf, H. Holzapfel, R. Stiefelhagen, A. Swerdlow, G. Bretthauer, R. Dillmann (Universität Karlsruhe, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH): Kognitive Architekturen für humanoide Roboter: Anforderungen, Überblick und Vergleich R. Mikut, C. Burghart, A. Swerdlow (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Universität Karlsruhe): Ein Gedankenexperiment zum Entwurf einer integrierten kognitiven Architektur für humanoide Roboter G. Milighetti, H.-B. Kuntze (FhG IITB Karlsruhe): Diskret-kontinuierliche Regelung und Überwachung von Robotern basierend auf Aktionsprimitiven und Petri-Netzen N. Rosemann, W. Brockmann (Universität Osnabrück): Kontrolle dynamischer Eigenschaften des Online-Lernens in Neuro-Fuzzy-Systemen mit dem SILKE-Ansatz A. Hans, D. Schneegaß, A. Schäfer, S. Udluft (Siemens AG, TU Ilmenau): Sichere Exploration für Reinforcement-Learning-basierte Regelung Th. Bartz-Beielstein, M. Bongards, C. Claes, W. Konen, H. Westenberger (FH Köln): Datenanalyse und Prozessoptimierung für Kanalnetze und Kläranlagen mit CI-Methoden S. Nusser, C. Otte, W. Hauptmann (Siemens AG, OvG-Universität Magdeburg): Learning Binary Classifiers for Applications in Safety-Related Domains W. Jakob, A. Quinte, K.-U. Stucky, W. Süß, C. Blume (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH; FH Köln, Campus Gummersbach) Schnelles Resource Constrained Project Scheduling mit dem Evolutionären Algorithmus GLEAM M. Preuß, B. Naujoks (Universität Dortmund): Evolutionäre mehrkriterielle Optimierung bei Anwendungen mit nichtzusammenhängenden Pareto-Mengen G. Rudolph, M. Preuß (Universität Dortmund): in mehrkriterielles Evolutionsverfahren zur Bestimmung des Phasengleichgewichts von gemischten Flüssigkeiten Y. Chen, O. Burmeister, C. Bauer, R. Rupp, R. Mikut (Universität Karlsruhe, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Orthopädische Universitätsklinik Heidelberg): First Steps to Future Applications of Spinal Neural Circuit Models in Neuroprostheses and Humanoid Robots F. Hoffmann, J. Braun, T. Bertram, S. Hölemann (Universität Dortmund, RWTH Aachen): Multikriterielle Optimierung mit modellgestützten Evolutionsstrategien S. Piana, S. Engell (Universität Dortmund): Evolutionäre Optimierung des Betriebs von rohrlosen Chemieanlagen T. Runkler (Siemens AG, CT IC 4): Pareto Optimization of the Fuzzy c–Means Clustering Model Using a Multi–Objective Genetic Algorithm H. J. Rommelfanger (J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main): Die Optimierung von Fuzzy-Zielfunktionen in Fuzzy (Mehrziel-) LPSystemen - Ein kritischer Überblick D. Gamrad, D. Söffker (Universität Duisburg-Essen): Formalisierung menschlicher Interaktionen durch Situations-Operator- Modellbildung S. Ritter, P. Bretschneider (FhG AST Ilmenau): Optimale Planung und Betriebsführung der Energieversorgung im liberalisierten Energiemarkt R. Seising (Medizinische Universität Wien): Heinrich Hertz, Ludwig Wittgenstein und die Fuzzy-Strukturen - Eine kleine „Bildergeschichte“ zur Erkenntnisphilosophie J. Limberg, R. Seising (Medizinische Universität Wien): Sequenzvergleiche im Fuzzy-Hypercube M. Steinbrecher, R. Kruse (OvG-Universität Magdeburg): Visualisierung temporaler Abhängigkeiten in Bayesschen Netzen M. Schneider, R. Tillmann, U. Lehmann, J. Krone, P. Langbein, U. Stark, J. Schrickel, Ch. Ament, P. Otto (FH Südwestfalen, Airbus Deutschland GmbH, Hamburg, TU Ilmenau): Künstliches Neuronales Netz zur Analyse der Geometrie von großflächig gekrümmten Bauteilen C. Frey (FhG IITB Karlsruhe): Prozessdiagnose und Monitoring feldbusbasierter Automatisierungsanlagen mittels selbstorganisierender Karte