Human Soft-Robot Co-Manipulation
Human performing collaborative manipulation with another human (left), a rigid robot (center), and a soft robot (right).
For millennia, human success has been driven by our ability to work together—our teamwork and collaborative problem-solving skills. As we look to the future, robotics holds the potential to enhance human productivity even further by developing robots that can seamlessly assist us. The goal is to design robots that are not just helpful but also intuitive to use, blending into tasks as naturally as a human partner would.
One ambitious objective in this field is collaborative manipulation—where robots and humans work together to move, adjust, or manipulate objects in real-time. Achieving this goal requires robots that respond to human intent fluidly, just like another person would. However, rigid robots introduce challenges, as they lack the flexibility and adaptability that make human collaboration so smooth.
This is where soft robots offer new possibilities. Unlike rigid counterparts, soft robots are inherently more compliant, safer to interact with, and better equipped to handle subtle, dynamic movements. Our research focuses on harnessing these advantages to develop robotic systems that not only support human productivity but also feel as intuitive and natural to work with as a trusted human teammate.
One ambitious objective in this field is collaborative manipulation—where robots and humans work together to move, adjust, or manipulate objects in real-time. Achieving this goal requires robots that respond to human intent fluidly, just like another person would. However, rigid robots introduce challenges, as they lack the flexibility and adaptability that make human collaboration so smooth.
This is where soft robots offer new possibilities. Unlike rigid counterparts, soft robots are inherently more compliant, safer to interact with, and better equipped to handle subtle, dynamic movements. Our research focuses on harnessing these advantages to develop robotic systems that not only support human productivity but also feel as intuitive and natural to work with as a trusted human teammate.
Our Soft Robot Platform: Merging Mobility and Pneumatic Manipulation
Our custom-built soft robot platform is designed to push the boundaries of collaborative manipulation. It features a castor-driven, omni-directional mobile base with high payload capabilities, allowing it to navigate complex environments with ease. The pneumatically driven arm consists of three links with antagonistically controlled bellows chambers, providing adaptable motion and safe interaction through compliance.
The mobile base’s software is built using ROS (Robot Operating System) and Python, enabling seamless integration with robotic ecosystems. The arm’s control is powered by Pneudrive, a lab-developed distributed pressure controller. Pneudrive allows multiple boards to be daisy-chained, creating a scalable system for large-scale pressure control—perfect for complex robotic tasks that require fine-tuned adjustments in real-time. To provide proprioception, real-time joint angle estimation is accomplished with VIVE motion trackers, enhancing control and accuracy. |