Abstract:
For this demonstration, participants have the opportunity to control a humanoid robot located hundreds of miles away. The general task is to reach, grasp, and transport various objects in the vicinity of the robot. Although remote "pick-and-place" operations of this sort form the basis of numerous practical applications, they are frequently error-prone and fatiguing for human operators. Participants can experience the relative difficulty of remote manipulation both with and without the use of an assistive interface. This interface simplifies the task by injecting artificial intelligence in key places without seizing higher-level control from the operator. In particular, we demonstrate the benefits of two key components of the system: a video display of predicted operator intentions, and a haptic-based controller for automated grasping.