Volume 24, Number 2, 123-134, DOI: 10.1007/s10514-007-9054-7

Controller design for human-robot interaction

Eric Meisner, Volkan Isler and Jeff Trinkle

From the issue entitled "Special Issue on Socially Assistive Robotics"

View Related Documents

Abstract

Many robotics tasks require a robot to share the same workspace with humans. In such settings, it is important that the robot performs in such a way that does not cause distress to humans in the workspace. In this paper, we address the problem of designing robot controllers which minimize the stress caused by the robot while performing a given task. We present a novel, data-driven algorithm which computes human-friendly trajectories. The algorithm utilizes biofeedback measurements and combines a set of geometric controllers to achieve human friendliness. We evaluate the comfort level of the human using a Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensor. We present results from a human tracking task, in which the robot is required to stay within a specified distance without causing high stress values.

Keywords  Biofeedback - Human-robot interaction - Assistive robotics

Fulltext Preview

Image of the first page of the fulltext document