Electro-tactile feedback system for achieving embodiment in a tele-operated robot

Tele-operation can enable an operator to control a robot remotely in inaccessible and hazardous environments. However, controlling a robot remotely via a conventional monitor and control panel can be difficult and slow. To achieve faster and more dexterous operation of the robot, enhanced 3D perception and some form of tactile or neural feedback is needed to achieve some degree of embodiment within the robot\u27s physical structure and world. To achieve this objective we have devised an immersive tele-operation system comprised of a stereo vision headset and an electro-tactile feedback system that is worn by the operator, connected to stereo cameras and various sensors mounded on the robot. This arrangement enables the remote operator to see in 3D what the robot sees and experience what the robot feels via electro-tactile feedback in response to hand gesture based control actions. We provide experimental results showing how our tele-operation system can enable the operator to achieve better control of a mobile robot via a sense of being partially embodied within the robot

Electrotactile feedback applications for hand and arm interactions: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and future directions

Haptic feedback is critical in a broad range of human-machine/computer-interaction applications. However, the high cost and low portability/wearability of haptic devices remain unresolved issues, severely limiting the adoption of this otherwise promising technology. Electrotactile interfaces have the advantage of being more portable and wearable due to their reduced actuators' size, as well as their lower power consumption and manufacturing cost. The applications of electrotactile feedback have been explored in human-computer interaction and human-machine-interaction for facilitating hand-based interactions in applications such as prosthetics, virtual reality, robotic teleoperation, surface haptics, portable devices, and rehabilitation. This paper presents a technological overview of electrotactile feedback, as well a systematic review and meta-analysis of its applications for hand-based interactions. We discuss the different electrotactile systems according to the type of application. We also discuss over a quantitative congregation of the findings, to offer a high-level overview into the state-of-art and suggest future directions. Electrotactile feedback systems showed increased portability/wearability, and they were successful in rendering and/or augmenting most tactile sensations, eliciting perceptual processes, and improving performance in many scenarios. However, knowledge gaps (e.g., embodiment), technical (e.g., recurrent calibration, electrodes' durability) and methodological (e.g., sample size) drawbacks were detected, which should be addressed in future studies.Comment: 18 pages, 1 table, 8 figures, under review in Transactions on Haptics. This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessible.Upon acceptance of the article by IEEE, the preprint article will be replaced with the accepted versio

Full-hand electrotactile feedback using electronic skin and matrix electrodes for high-bandwidth human–machine interfacing

Tactile feedback is relevant in a broad range of human–machine interaction systems (e.g. teleoperation, virtual reality and prosthetics). The available tactile feedback interfaces comprise few sensing and stimulation units, which limits the amount of information conveyed to the user. The present study describes a novel technology that relies on distributed sensing and stimulation to convey comprehensive tactile feedback to the user of a robotic end effector. The system comprises six flexible sensing arrays (57 sensors) integrated on the fingers and palm of a robotic hand, embedded electronics (64 recording channels), a multichannel stimulator and seven flexible electrodes (64 stimulation pads) placed on the volar side of the subject’s hand. The system was tested in seven subjects asked to recognize contact positions and identify contact sliding on the electronic skin, using distributed anode configuration (DAC) and single dedicated anode configuration. The experiments demonstrated that DAC resulted in substantially better performance. Using DAC, the system successfully translated the contact patterns into electrotactile profiles that the subjects could recognize with satisfactory accuracy (i.e. median{IQR} of 88.6{11}% for static and 93.3{5}% for dynamic patterns). The proposed system is an important step towards the development of a high-density human–machine interfacing between the user and a robotic han

Visualisasi 3Dimensi untuk Memperkaya Pengoperasian Jarak Jauh dengan Mengunakan Kamera Webcam

Pada pengendalian robot jarak jauh, dibutuhkan informasi mengenai sekitar dari robot. Informasi ini mambuat operator dapat mengendalikan robotnya dengan lebih baik. Informasi visual adalah  informasi yang paling banyak digunakan oleh sistem pengoperasian robot jarak jauh. Informasi visual yang digunakan sebagian besar masih menggunakan informasi dua dimensi. Robot menggunakan sebuah kamera dan operator melihat informasi dari sebuah layar monitor. Hal ini memiliki kekurangan antara lain operator tidak mendapatkan efek kedalaman sehingga operator memiliki kesulitn untuk mengira jarak antara robot dan objek didepannya. Kekurangan ini dapat diselesaikan dengan menggunakan sistem visual tiga dimensi. Namun sistem ini membutuhkan kamera stereo yang tidak murah. Penelitian ini meneliti sebuah sistem yang mengunakan dua buah webcam yang terhubung dengan sebuah komputer, dan operator dapat merasakan sensasi 3 dimensi dengan menggunakan sebuah Virtual reality headset Kamera-kamera ini diletakan pada dua motor steper sehingga digerakan keatas-kebawah serta samping kiri dan kanan. Kemampuan gerak ini membuat operator mendapat informasi mengenai keadaan sekeliling dari robot. Motor-motor ini dikendalikan dari headset  sehingga memudahkan operator. Sistem ini diharapkan dapat digunakan pada robot yang dikendalikan jarak jauh sehingga operator dapat mengoperasikan robot lebih baik lagi

Human-Machine Interfaces using Distributed Sensing and Stimulation Systems

As the technology moves towards more natural human-machine interfaces (e.g. bionic limbs, teleoperation, virtual reality), it is necessary to develop a sensory feedback system in order to foster embodiment and achieve better immersion in the control system. Contemporary feedback interfaces presented in research use few sensors and stimulation units to feedback at most two discrete feedback variables (e.g. grasping force and aperture), whereas the human sense of touch relies on a distributed network of mechanoreceptors providing a wide bandwidth of information. To provide this type of feedback, it is necessary to develop a distributed sensing system that could extract a wide range of information during the interaction between the robot and the environment. In addition, a distributed feedback interface is needed to deliver such information to the user. This thesis proposes the development of a distributed sensing system (e-skin) to acquire tactile sensation, a first integration of distributed sensing system on a robotic hand, the development of a sensory feedback system that compromises the distributed sensing system and a distributed stimulation system, and finally the implementation of deep learning methods for the classification of tactile data. It\u2019s core focus addresses the development and testing of a sensory feedback system, based on the latest distributed sensing and stimulation techniques. To this end, the thesis is comprised of two introductory chapters that describe the state of art in the field, the objectives, and the used methodology and contributions; as well as six studies that tackled the development of human-machine interfaces

Design and Control of an Anthropomorphic Robotic Finger with Multi-point Tactile Sensation

The goal of this research is to develop the prototype of a tactile sensing platform for anthropomorphic manipulation research. We investigate this problem through the fabrication and simple control of a planar 2-DOF robotic finger inspired by anatomic consistency, self-containment, and adaptability. The robot is equipped with a tactile sensor array based on optical transducer technology whereby localized changes in light intensity within an illuminated foam substrate correspond to the distribution and magnitude of forces applied to the sensor surface plane. The integration of tactile perception is a key component in realizing robotic systems which organically interact with the world. Such natural behavior is characterized by compliant performance that can initiate internal, and respond to external, force application in a dynamic environment. However, most of the current manipulators that support some form of haptic feedback either solely derive proprioceptive sensation or only limit tactile sensors to the mechanical fingertips. These constraints are due to the technological challenges involved in high resolution, multi-point tactile perception. In this work, however, we take the opposite approach, emphasizing the role of full-finger tactile feedback in the refinement of manual capabilities. To this end, we propose and implement a control framework for sensorimotor coordination analogous to infant-level grasping and fixturing reflexes. This thesis details the mechanisms used to achieve these sensory, actuation, and control objectives, along with the design philosophies and biological influences behind them. The results of behavioral experiments with a simple tactilely-modulated control scheme are also described. The hope is to integrate the modular finger into an %engineered analog of the human hand with a complete haptic system

The Future of Humanoid Robots

This book provides state of the art scientific and engineering research findings and developments in the field of humanoid robotics and its applications. It is expected that humanoids will change the way we interact with machines, and will have the ability to blend perfectly into an environment already designed for humans. The book contains chapters that aim to discover the future abilities of humanoid robots by presenting a variety of integrated research in various scientific and engineering fields, such as locomotion, perception, adaptive behavior, human-robot interaction, neuroscience and machine learning. The book is designed to be accessible and practical, with an emphasis on useful information to those working in the fields of robotics, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, computational methods and other fields of science directly or indirectly related to the development and usage of future humanoid robots. The editor of the book has extensive R&D experience, patents, and publications in the area of humanoid robotics, and his experience is reflected in editing the content of the book