scholarly journals Validating Safety in Human–Robot Collaboration: Standards and New Perspectives

Robotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Marcello Valori ◽  
Adriano Scibilia ◽  
Irene Fassi ◽  
José Saenz ◽  
Roland Behrens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Robot ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Safety Skills ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Safety Testing ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Cross Domain ◽  
Robotic Devices ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration

Human–robot collaboration is currently one of the frontiers of industrial robot implementation. In parallel, the use of robots and robotic devices is increasing in several fields, substituting humans in “4D”—dull, dirty, dangerous, and delicate—tasks, and such a trend is boosted by the recent need for social distancing. New challenges in safety assessment and verification arise, due to both the closer and closer human–robot interaction, common for the different application domains, and the broadening of user audience, which is now very diverse. The present paper discusses a cross-domain approach towards the definition of step-by-step validation procedures for collaborative robotic applications. To outline the context, the standardization framework is analyzed, especially from the perspective of safety testing and assessment. Afterwards, some testing procedures based on safety skills, developed within the framework of the European project COVR, are discussed and exemplary presented.

scholarly journals Human–Robot Interaction through Eye Tracking for Artistic Drawing

Robotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Scalera ◽  
Stefano Seriani ◽  
Paolo Gallina ◽  
Mattia Lentini ◽  
Alessandro Gasparetto
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Movement Disorders ◽  
Industrial Robot ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Eye Motion ◽  
Artistic Images

In this paper, authors present a novel architecture for controlling an industrial robot via an eye tracking interface for artistic purposes. Humans and robots interact thanks to an acquisition system based on an eye tracker device that allows the user to control the motion of a robotic manipulator with his gaze. The feasibility of the robotic system is evaluated with experimental tests in which the robot is teleoperated to draw artistic images. The tool can be used by artists to investigate novel forms of art and by amputees or people with movement disorders or muscular paralysis, as an assistive technology for artistic drawing and painting, since, in these cases, eye motion is usually preserved.

The Pransky interview: Dr Cory Kidd, Founder and CEO at Catalia Health

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Pransky
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Industrial Robot ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Healthcare Applications ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Wall Street ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institute Of Technology

Purpose The purpose of this paper is a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry PhD-turned-entrepreneur regarding the evolution, commercialization and challenges of bringing a technological invention to market. Design/methodology/approach The interviewee is Dr Cory Kidd, an inventor, entrepreneur and leading practitioner in the field of human–robot interaction. Dr Kidd shares his 20-year journey of working at the intersection of healthcare and technology and how he applied innovative technologies toward solving large-scale consumer healthcare challenges. Findings Dr Kidd received his BS degree in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in Computer and Information Science & Engineering. Dr Kidd received his MS and PhD degrees at the MIT Media Lab in human–robot interaction. While there, he conducted studies that showed the psychological and clinical advantages of using a physical robot over screen-based interactions. While finishing his PhD in 2007, he founded his first company, Intuitive Automata, which created interactive coaches for weight loss. Though Intuitive Automata ceased operations in 2013, Dr Kidd harnessed his extensive knowledge of the healthcare business and the experiences from patient engagement and launched Catalia Health in 2014 with a new platform centered specifically around patient behavior change programs for chronic disease management. Originality/value Dr Kidd is a pioneer of social robotics and has developed groundbreaking technology for healthcare applications that combines artificial intelligence, psychology and medical best practices to deliver everyday care to patients who are managing chronic conditions. He holds patents, including one entitled Apparatus and Method for Assisting in Achieving Desired Behavior Patterns and in an Interactive Personal Health Promoting Robot. Dr Kidd was awarded the inaugural Wall Street Journal and Credit Suisse Technopreneur of the Year in 2010, which is meant to “honor the entry that best applies technology with the greatest potential for commercial success”. He is also the Director of Business Development for the nonprofit Silicon Valley Robotics and is an impact partner for Fresco Capital. He consults, mentors and serves as a Board Member and Advisor to several high-tech startups.

Using Virtual Reality to Test Human-Robot Interaction During a Collaborative Task

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Etzi ◽  
Siyuan Huang ◽  
Giulia Wally Scurati ◽  
Shilei Lyu ◽  
Francesco Ferrise ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Assembly Task ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Collaborative Platform ◽  
Simple Assembly ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration

Abstract The use of collaborative robots in the manufacturing industry has widely spread in the last decade. In order to be efficient, the human-robot collaboration needs to be properly designed by also taking into account the operator’s psychophysiological reactions. Virtual Reality can be used as a tool to simulate human-robot collaboration in a safe and cheap way. Here, we present a virtual collaborative platform in which the human operator and a simulated robot coordinate their actions to accomplish a simple assembly task. In this study, the robot moved slowly or more quickly in order to assess the effect of its velocity on the human’s responses. Ten participants tested this application by using an Oculus Rift head-mounted display; ARTracking cameras and a Kinect system were used to track the operator’s right arm movements and hand gestures respectively. Performance, user experience, and physiological responses were recorded. The results showed that while humans’ performances and evaluations varied as a function of the robot’s velocity, no differences were found in the physiological responses. Taken together, these data highlight the relevance of the kinematic aspects of robot’s motion within a human-robot collaboration and provide valuable insights to further develop our virtual human-machine interactive platform.

scholarly journals A variable admittance control strategy for stable physical human–robot interaction

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 747-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Ferraguti ◽  
Chiara Talignani Landi ◽  
Lorenzo Sabattini ◽  
Marcello Bonfè ◽  
Cesare Fantuzzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Admittance Control ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Interaction Control ◽  
Human Arm ◽  
Industrial Operations ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Stability Issues ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration

Admittance control allows a desired dynamic behavior to be reproduced on a non-backdrivable manipulator and it has been widely used for interaction control and, in particular, for human–robot collaboration. Nevertheless, stability problems arise when the environment (e.g. the human) the robot is interacting with becomes too stiff. In this paper, we investigate the stability issues related to a change of stiffness of the human arm during the interaction with an admittance-controlled robot. We propose a novel method for detecting the rise of instability and a passivity-preserving strategy for restoring a stable behavior. The results of the paper are validated on two robotic setups and with 50 users performing two tasks that emulate industrial operations.

Design of a Variable Stiffness Actuator Based on Flexures

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Palli ◽  
Giovanni Berselli ◽  
Claudio Melchiorri ◽  
Gabriele Vassura
Keyword(s):  
Compliant Mechanism ◽  
Variable Stiffness ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Experimental Characterization ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Variable Stiffness Actuator ◽  
Robotic Devices ◽  
Stiffness Profile ◽  
Variable Stiffness Actuators

Variable stiffness actuators can be used in order to achieve a suitable trade-off between performance and safety in robotic devices for physical human–robot interaction. With the aim of improving the compactness and the flexibility of existing mechanical solutions, a variable stiffness actuator based on the use of flexures is investigated. The proposed concept allows the implementation of a desired stiffness profile and range. In particular, this paper reports a procedure for the synthesis of a fully compliant mechanism used as a nonlinear transmission element, together with its experimental characterization. Finally, a preliminary prototype of the overall joint is depicted.

scholarly journals MODELING AND TESTING PROXEMIC BEHAVIOR FOR HUMANOID ROBOTS

2012 ◽  
Vol 09 (04) ◽  
pp. 1250028 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELENA TORTA ◽  
RAYMOND H. CUIJPERS ◽  
JAMES F. JUOLA ◽  
DAVID VAN DER POL
Keyword(s):  
Target Location ◽  
Personal Space ◽  
Humanoid Robots ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Bayesian Filtering ◽  
Mathematical Form ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Verbal Interactions ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Robotic Architecture

Humanoid robots that share the same space with humans need to be socially acceptable and effective as they interact with people. In this paper we focus our attention on the definition of a behavior-based robotic architecture that (1) allows the robot to navigate safely in a cluttered and dynamically changing domestic environment and (2) encodes embodied non-verbal interactions: the robot respects the users personal space (PS) by choosing the appropriate distance and direction of approach. The model of the PS is derived from human–robot interaction tests, and it is described in a convenient mathematical form. The robot's target location is dynamically inferred through the solution of a Bayesian filtering problem. The validation of the overall behavioral architecture shows that the robot is able to exhibit appropriate proxemic behavior.

scholarly journals An Immersive Investment Game to Study Human-Robot Trust

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Zörner ◽  
Emy Arts ◽  
Brenda Vasiljevic ◽  
Ankit Srivastava ◽  
Florian Schmalzl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Space Mission ◽  
Verbal Communication ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Investment Game ◽  
Robot Perception ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration

As robots become more advanced and capable, developing trust is an important factor of human-robot interaction and cooperation. However, as multiple environmental and social factors can influence trust, it is important to develop more elaborate scenarios and methods to measure human-robot trust. A widely used measurement of trust in social science is the investment game. In this study, we propose a scaled-up, immersive, science fiction Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) scenario for intrinsic motivation on human-robot collaboration, built upon the investment game and aimed at adapting the investment game for human-robot trust. For this purpose, we utilize two Neuro-Inspired COmpanion (NICO) - robots and a projected scenery. We investigate the applicability of our space mission experiment design to measure trust and the impact of non-verbal communication. We observe a correlation of 0.43 (p=0.02) between self-assessed trust and trust measured from the game, and a positive impact of non-verbal communication on trust (p=0.0008) and robot perception for anthropomorphism (p=0.007) and animacy (p=0.00002). We conclude that our scenario is an appropriate method to measure trust in human-robot interaction and also to study how non-verbal communication influences a human’s trust in robots.

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