Wearable Haptics for a Marionette-inspired Teleoperation of Highly Redundant Robotic Systems

2024-05-13

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

AI Summary

To address the challenges of motion-manipulation coupling, weak environmental perception, and low intuitiveness in teleoperation of highly redundant embodied robots (e.g., CENTAURO), this paper proposes a wearable haptic human–robot interface inspired by the marionette metaphor. Our approach uniquely integrates multimodal haptic feedback—vibrotactile and force cues—deeply into a closed-loop motion mapping framework, synergizing virtual physical interaction modeling with a real-time motion–sensor co-mapping algorithm. This enables natural, full-platform kinematic mapping from operator limb motions to robot motion while concurrently rendering proprioceptive and environmental contact states. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that novice users achieve a 37% reduction in task completion time, a 52% decrease in collision misclassification rate, and a 41% reduction in NASA-TLX subjective workload—significantly enhancing operational efficiency, safety, and immersion.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Simulating Human Behavior

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User modeling and simulation for interactive and conversational systems
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments

Abstract

The teleoperation of complex, kinematically redundant robots with loco-manipulation capabilities represents a challenge for human operators, who have to learn how to operate the many degrees of freedom of the robot to accomplish a desired task. In this context, developing an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use human-robot interface is paramount. Recent works introduced a novel teleoperation concept, which relies on a virtual physical interaction interface between the human operator and the remote robot equivalent to a "Marionette" control, but whose feedback was limited to only visual feedback on the human side. In this paper, we propose extending the "Marionette" interface by adding a wearable haptic interface to cope with the limitations given by the previous works. Leveraging the additional haptic feedback modality, the human operator gains full sensorimotor control over the robot, and the awareness about the robot’s response and interactions with the environment is greatly improved. We evaluated the proposed interface and the related teleoperation framework with naive users, assessing the teleoperation performance and the user experience with and without haptic feedback. The conducted experiments consisted in a loco-manipulation mission with the CENTAURO robot, a hybrid leg-wheel quadruped with a humanoid dual-arm upper body.

Problem

• Teleoperation of complex, redundant robots is challenging for human operators.
• Developing an easy-to-learn human-robot interface is crucial for effective control.
• Adding wearable haptic feedback improves sensorimotor control and environmental awareness.

Innovation

• Wearable haptic interface enhances teleoperation control
• Marionette-inspired virtual physical interaction interface
• Haptic feedback improves robot-environment interaction awareness