{"266851":{"#nid":"266851","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Human Arm Sensors Make Robot Smarter","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing arm sensors that can \u201cread\u201d a person\u2019s muscle movements, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/youtu.be\/OIUg3leijdQ\u0022\u003Ecreated a control system that makes robots more intelligent\u003C\/a\u003E. The sensors send information to the robot, allowing it to anticipate a human\u2019s movements and correct its own. The system is intended to improve time, safety and efficiency in manufacturing plants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s not uncommon to see large, fast-moving robots on manufacturing floors. Humans seldom work next to them because of safety reasons. Some jobs, however, require people and robots to work together. For example, a person hanging a car door on a hinge uses a lever to guide a robot carrying the door. The power-assisting device sounds practical but isn\u2019t easy to use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt turns into a constant tug of war between the person and the robot,\u201d explains Billy Gallagher, a recent Georgia Tech Ph.D. graduate in robotics who led the project. \u201cBoth react to each other\u2019s forces when working together. The problem is that a person\u2019s muscle stiffness is never constant, and a robot doesn\u2019t always know how to correctly react.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, as human operators shift the lever forward or backward, the robot recognizes the command and moves appropriately. But when they want to stop the movement and hold the lever in place, people tend to stiffen and contract muscles on both sides of their arms. This creates a high level of co-contraction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe robot becomes confused. It doesn\u2019t know whether the force is purely another command that should be amplified or \u2018bounced\u2019 force due to muscle co-contraction,\u201d said Jun Ueda, Gallagher\u2019s advisor and a professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. \u201cThe robot reacts regardless.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe robot responds to that bounced force, creating vibration. The human operators also react, creating more force by stiffening their arms. The situation and vibrations become worse.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou don\u2019t want instability when a robot is carrying a heavy door,\u201d said Ueda.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech system eliminates the vibrations by using sensors worn on a controller\u2019s forearm. The devices send muscle movements to a computer, which provides the robot with the operator\u2019s level of muscle contraction. The system judges the operator\u0027s physical status and intelligently adjusts how it should interact with the human. The result is a robot that moves easily and safely.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cInstead of having the robot react to a human, we give it more information,\u201d said Gallagher. \u201cModeling the operator in this way allows the robot to actively adjust to changes in the way the operator moves.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUeda will continue to improve the system using a $1.2 million National Robotics Initiative grant supported by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=1317718\u0022\u003Ea National Science Foundation grant\u003C\/a\u003E (1317718) to better understand the mechanisms of neuromotor adaptation in human-robot physical interaction. The research is intended to benefit communities interested in the adaptive shared control approach for advanced manufacturing and process design, including automobile, aerospace and military.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFuture robots must be able to understand people better,\u201d Ueda said. \u201cBy making robots smarter, we can make them safer and more efficient.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team also includes Associate Professor Minoru Shinohara (Applied Physiology), Assistant Professor Karen Feigh (Aerospace Engineering) and Professor Emeritus Wayne Book (Mechanical Engineering).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing arm sensors that can \u201cread\u201d a person\u2019s muscle movements, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/youtu.be\/OIUg3leijdQ\u0022\u003Ecreated a control system that makes robots more intelligent\u003C\/a\u003E. The sensors send information to the robot, allowing it to anticipate a human\u2019s movements and correct its own. The system is intended to improve time, safety and efficiency in manufacturing plants.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Using arm sensors that can \u201cread\u201d a person\u2019s muscle movements, researchers have created a control system that makes robots more intelligent."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2014-01-14 11:02:20","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:40","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"266801":{"id":"266801","type":"image","title":"Smarter Robot 1","body":null,"created":"1449244058","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:47:38","changed":"1475894956","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:16","alt":"Smarter Robot 1","file":{"fid":"198542","name":"14c10302-p25-006.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10302-p25-006_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10302-p25-006_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2783661,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/14c10302-p25-006_0.jpg?itok=PCFhwe50"}},"266871":{"id":"266871","type":"image","title":"Smarter Robot Lever","body":null,"created":"1449244058","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:47:38","changed":"1475894956","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:16","alt":"Smarter Robot Lever","file":{"fid":"198546","name":"screen_shot_2014-01-14_at_10.05.37_am.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen_shot_2014-01-14_at_10.05.37_am_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen_shot_2014-01-14_at_10.05.37_am_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":927727,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/screen_shot_2014-01-14_at_10.05.37_am_0.png?itok=mRyP_Am9"}},"266821":{"id":"266821","type":"image","title":"Smarter Robot 2","body":null,"created":"1449244058","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:47:38","changed":"1475894956","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:16","alt":"Smarter Robot 2","file":{"fid":"198543","name":"14c10302-p25-004.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10302-p25-004_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10302-p25-004_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2359509,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/14c10302-p25-004_0.jpg?itok=2vYqrhyd"}},"266831":{"id":"266831","type":"image","title":"Smarter Robot 3","body":null,"created":"1449244058","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:47:38","changed":"1475894956","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:16","alt":"Smarter Robot 3","file":{"fid":"198544","name":"14c10302-p25-001.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10302-p25-001_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10302-p25-001_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3009389,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/14c10302-p25-001_0.jpg?itok=RUk-tlyU"}}},"media_ids":["266801","266871","266821","266831"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/schools\/me","title":"George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/ho","title":"College of Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/robotics.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for Robotics \u0026 Intelligent Machines"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"83681","name":"Arm Sensor"},{"id":"13887","name":"Jun Ueda"},{"id":"667","name":"robotics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}