104 research outputs found

    Teleoperation Methods for High-Risk, High-Latency Environments

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    In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) can enable larger-scale and longer-lived infrastructure projects in space, with interest ranging from commercial entities to the US government. Servicing, in particular, has the potential to vastly increase the usable lifetimes of satellites. However, the vast majority of spacecraft on low Earth orbit today were not designed to be serviced on-orbit. As such, several of the manipulations during servicing cannot easily be automated and instead require ground-based teleoperation. Ground-based teleoperation of on-orbit robots brings its own challenges of high latency communications, with telemetry delays of several seconds, and difficulties in visualizing the remote environment due to limited camera views. We explore teleoperation methods to alleviate these difficulties, increase task success, and reduce operator load. First, we investigate a model-based teleoperation interface intended to provide the benefits of direct teleoperation even in the presence of time delay. We evaluate the model-based teleoperation method using professional robot operators, then use feedback from that study to inform the design of a visual planning tool for this task, Interactive Planning and Supervised Execution (IPSE). We describe and evaluate the IPSE system and two interfaces, one 2D using a traditional mouse and keyboard and one 3D using an Intuitive Surgical da Vinci master console. We then describe and evaluate an alternative 3D interface using a Meta Quest head-mounted display. Finally, we describe an extension of IPSE to allow human-in-the-loop planning for a redundant robot. Overall, we find that IPSE improves task success rate and decreases operator workload compared to a conventional teleoperation interface

    Fine-grained Haptics: Sensing and Actuating Haptic Primary Colours (force, vibration, and temperature)

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    This thesis discusses the development of a multimodal, fine-grained visual-haptic system for teleoperation and robotic applications. This system is primarily composed of two complementary components: an input device known as the HaptiTemp sensor (combines “Haptics” and “Temperature”), which is a novel thermosensitive GelSight-like sensor, and an output device, an untethered multimodal finegrained haptic glove. The HaptiTemp sensor is a visuotactile sensor that can sense haptic primary colours known as force, vibration, and temperature. It has novel switchable UV markers that can be made visible using UV LEDs. The switchable markers feature is a real novelty of the HaptiTemp because it can be used in the analysis of tactile information from gel deformation without impairing the ability to classify or recognise images. The use of switchable markers in the HaptiTemp sensor is the solution to the trade-off between marker density and capturing high-resolution images using one sensor. The HaptiTemp sensor can measure vibrations by counting the number of blobs or pulses detected per unit time using a blob detection algorithm. For the first time, temperature detection was incorporated into a GelSight-like sensor, making the HaptiTemp sensor a haptic primary colours sensor. The HaptiTemp sensor can also do rapid temperature sensing with a 643 ms response time for the 31°C to 50°C temperature range. This fast temperature response of the HaptiTemp sensor is comparable to the withdrawal reflex response in humans. This is the first time a sensor can trigger a sensory impulse that can mimic a human reflex in the robotic community. The HaptiTemp sensor can also do simultaneous temperature sensing and image classification using a machine vision camera—the OpenMV Cam H7 Plus. This capability of simultaneous sensing and image classification has not been reported or demonstrated by any tactile sensor. The HaptiTemp sensor can be used in teleoperation because it can communicate or transmit tactile analysis and image classification results using wireless communication. The HaptiTemp sensor is the closest thing to the human skin in tactile sensing, tactile pattern recognition, and rapid temperature response. In order to feel what the HaptiTemp sensor is touching from a distance, a corresponding output device, an untethered multimodal haptic hand wearable, is developed to actuate the haptic primary colours sensed by the HaptiTemp sensor. This wearable can communicate wirelessly and has fine-grained cutaneous feedback to feel the edges or surfaces of the tactile images captured by the HaptiTemp sensor. This untethered multimodal haptic hand wearable has gradient kinesthetic force feedback that can restrict finger movements based on the force estimated by the HaptiTemp sensor. A retractable string from an ID badge holder equipped with miniservos that control the stiffness of the wire is attached to each fingertip to restrict finger movements. Vibrations detected by the HaptiTemp sensor can be actuated by the tapping motion of the tactile pins or by a buzzing minivibration motor. There is also a tiny annular Peltier device, or ThermoElectric Generator (TEG), with a mini-vibration motor, forming thermo-vibro feedback in the palm area that can be activated by a ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ signal from the HaptiTemp sensor. The haptic primary colours can also be embedded in a VR environment that can be actuated by the multimodal hand wearable. A VR application was developed to demonstrate rapid tactile actuation of edges, allowing the user to feel the contours of virtual objects. Collision detection scripts were embedded to activate the corresponding actuator in the multimodal haptic hand wearable whenever the tactile matrix simulator or hand avatar in VR collides with a virtual object. The TEG also gets warm or cold depending on the virtual object the participant has touched. Tests were conducted to explore virtual objects in 2D and 3D environments using Leap Motion control and a VR headset (Oculus Quest 2). Moreover, a fine-grained cutaneous feedback was developed to feel the edges or surfaces of a tactile image, such as the tactile images captured by the HaptiTemp sensor, or actuate tactile patterns in 2D or 3D virtual objects. The prototype is like an exoskeleton glove with 16 tactile actuators (tactors) on each fingertip, 80 tactile pins in total, made from commercially available P20 Braille cells. Each tactor can be controlled individually to enable the user to feel the edges or surfaces of images, such as the high-resolution tactile images captured by the HaptiTemp sensor. This hand wearable can be used to enhance the immersive experience in a virtual reality environment. The tactors can be actuated in a tapping manner, creating a distinct form of vibration feedback as compared to the buzzing vibration produced by a mini-vibration motor. The tactile pin height can also be varied, creating a gradient of pressure on the fingertip. Finally, the integration of the high-resolution HaptiTemp sensor, and the untethered multimodal, fine-grained haptic hand wearable is presented, forming a visuotactile system for sensing and actuating haptic primary colours. Force, vibration, and temperature sensing tests with corresponding force, vibration, and temperature actuating tests have demonstrated a unified visual-haptic system. Aside from sensing and actuating haptic primary colours, touching the edges or surfaces of the tactile images captured by the HaptiTemp sensor was carried out using the fine-grained cutaneous feedback of the haptic hand wearable

    Haptics: Science, Technology, Applications

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    This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Human Haptic Sensing and Touch Enabled Computer Applications, EuroHaptics 2022, held in Hamburg, Germany, in May 2022. The 36 regular papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 129 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: haptic science; haptic technology; and haptic applications

    A Novel Untethered Hand Wearable with Fine-Grained Cutaneous Haptic Feedback

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    During open surgery, a surgeon relies not only on the detailed view of the organ being operated upon and on being able to feel the fine details of this organ but also heavily relies on the combination of these two senses. In laparoscopic surgery, haptic feedback provides surgeons information on interaction forces between instrument and tissue. There have been many studies to mimic the haptic feedback in laparoscopic-related telerobotics studies to date. However, cutaneous feedback is mostly restricted or limited in haptic feedback-based minimally invasive studies. We argue that fine-grained information is needed in laparoscopic surgeries to study the details of the instrument’s end and can convey via cutaneous feedback. We propose an exoskeleton haptic hand wearable which consists of five 4 ⇄ 4 miniaturized fingertip actuators, 80 in total, to convey cutaneous feedback. The wearable is described as modular, lightweight, Bluetooth, and WiFi-enabled, and has a maximum power consumption of 830 mW. Software is developed to demonstrate rapid tactile actuation of edges; this allows the user to feel the contours in cutaneous feedback. Moreover, to demonstrate the idea as an object displayed on a flat monitor, initial tests were carried out in 2D. In the second phase, the wearable exoskeleton glove is then further developed to feel 3D virtual objects by using a virtual reality (VR) headset demonstrated by a VR environment. Two-dimensional and 3D objects were tested by our novel untethered haptic hand wearable. Our results show that untethered humans understand actuation in cutaneous feedback just in a single tapping with 92.22% accuracy. Our wearable has an average latency of 46.5 ms, which is much less than the 600 ms tolerable delay acceptable by a surgeon in teleoperation. Therefore, we suggest our untethered hand wearable to enhance multimodal perception in minimally invasive surgeries to naturally feel the immediate environments of the instruments

    Reducing under-five mortality in Makonde district’s public healthcare institutions: an exploratory investigation into the potential role of emerging technologies.

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    Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Under-five mortality rate remains unacceptably high globally, with Sub-Saharan Africa being the region with the worst under-five mortality outcomes. The United Nations reported that an average of 15 000 under-fives died daily in 2018, translating to 5.3 million under-fives dying annually. The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) estimated that up to 5.5 million under-fives died in 2021. The outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) worsened the situation for child healthcare in low-resource settings due to overwhelmed and strained healthcare systems. Promoting the health and well-being of under-fives remains a priority of the United Nations and its member states, as evidenced by the setting of under-five mortality goals in both the expired Millennium Development Goals and the current Sustainable Development Goals. Globally, under-five mortality outcomes are meagrely improving, registering a 4 per cent improvement in 18 years. Zimbabwe is one of the countries with high under-five mortality rates, with the Midlands and Mashonaland West provinces having the worst under-five mortality rates, according to the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) report. Despite the evidence of emerging technologies helping to reduce under-five mortality rates in other regions and countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom and South-West Nigeria, the potential of such technologies to reduce under-five mortality rates in Zimbabwe’s public healthcare institutions has not been explored. Although Zimbabwe has registered improvements in under-five mortality rates over the years through such programmes as free healthcare for under-fives in public health facilitie s, child immunisation programmes, provision of nutritional supplements and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), the rates are still unacceptably high and above the SDG target of 23 per 1 000 live births, making Zimbabwe ranked amongst the fifty countries with the highest early childhood mortality in the world. The country’s poor under-five mortalit y rates suggest that the existing methods need to be complemented by different approaches. Guided by three theoretical frameworks, the Diffusion of Innovation, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Capabilities Approach, the researcher explored the potential role of emerging technologies in reducing under-five mortality in Makonde District, Zimbabwe. The key deliverables of this study included a framework for the adoption of emerging technologies to reduce under-five mortality in resource-constrained settings like Makonde district. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used, in which 20 healthcare professionals from Makonde public health facilities participated in interviews and a focus group, while 90 healthcare professionals and 391 mothers of under-five children xi responded to questionnaires. The researcher used purposive and snowball sampling to identify interview and focus group participants, where experience and whether one works in the paediatric ward, works with children or pregnant women were critical considerations. Mothers of under-fives were randomly sampled. The study revealed that the participants arguably value under-fives the most and would accept any technology intended to improve their health and wellbeing. They perceive emerging technologies as helpful in areas like improving diagnosis, minimising loss to follow-ups and providing data-driven, evidence-based and personalised paediatrics. The impediments to adoption included the fear of medico-legal hazards, centralisation of digital health decision-making, network problems, resistance to change and demoralised workforce. There is generally poor knowledge of emerging technologies by healthcare professionals in Makonde District. The study proffers recommendations on what needs to be done for emerging technologies to be adopted in Makonde District’s public healthcare institutions to reduce under-five mortality. An adoption framework is also presented.No isiZulu abstract available

    Human-Machine Communication: Complete Volume. Volume 3. Diffusion of Human-Machine Communication During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

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    This is the complete volume of HMC Volume 3. Diffusion of Human-Machine Communication During and After the COVID-19 Pandemi
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