An intuitive wearable concept for robotic control

Abstract

In this study we explore the concept of gesture-based robot control for maneuver and manipulation, using a prototype system by AnthroTronix [1]. For the task, 24 Soldier-participants were asked to tele-operate the robot through a course containing several tight turns and obstacles. They were then asked to simulate “planting a breaching charge” by approaching a target with a marker attached to the end of the manipulator arm. They were provided with video feedback via a camera mounted to the chassis of the robot. Performance on the task was defined as time to navigate to the intended target, time to manipulate the arm to the target, and accuracy of the manipulation task. Results suggested that the use of the instrumented glove reduced the time needed to maneuver the manipulator arm as compared to the use of the handheld controller.