Improving Haptic Response for Contextual Human Robot Interaction.

For haptic interaction, a user in a virtual environment needs to interact with proxies attached to a robot. The device must be at the exact location defined in the virtual environment in time. However, due to device limitations, delays are always unavoidable. One of the solutions to improve the device response is to infer human intended motion and move the robot at the earliest time possible to the desired goal. This paper presents an experimental study to improve the prediction time and reduce the robot time taken to reach the desired position. We developed motion strategies based on the hand motion and eye-gaze direction to determine the point of user interaction in a virtual environment. To assess the performance of the strategies, we conducted a subject-based experiment using an exergame for reach and grab tasks designed for upper limb rehabilitation training. The experimental results in this study revealed that eye-gaze-based prediction significantly improved the detection time by 37% and the robot time taken to reach the target by 27%. Further analysis provided more insight on the effect of the eye-gaze window and the hand threshold on the device response for the experimental task.

An upright life, the postural stability of birds: a tensegrity system.

Birds are so stable that they can rest and even sleep standing up. We propose that stable static balance is achieved by tensegrity. The rigid bones can be held together by tension in the tendons, allowing the system to stabilize under the action of gravity. We used the proportions of the bird's osteomuscular system to create a mathematical model. First, the extensor muscles and tendons of the leg are replaced by a single cable that follows the leg and is guided by joint pulleys. Analysis of the model shows that it can achieve balance. However, it does not match the biomechanical characteristics of the bird's body and is not stable. We then replaced the single cable with four cables, roughly corresponding to the extensor groups, and added a ligament loop at the knee. The model is then able to reach a stable equilibrium and the biomechanical characteristics are satisfied. Some of the anatomical features used in our model correspond to innovations unique to the avian lineage. We propose that tensegrity, which allows light and stable mechanical systems, is fundamental to the evolution of the avian body plan. It can also be used as an alternative model for bipedal robots.

Estimating motion between avian vertebrae by contact modeling of joint surfaces.

Estimating the motion between two bones is crucial for understanding their biomechanical function. The vertebral column is particularly challenging because the vertebrae articulate at more than one surface. This paper proposes a method to estimate 3D motion between two avian vertebrae, by bones surface reconstruction and contact modeling. The neck of birds was selected as a case study because it is a functionally highly versatile structure combining dexterity and strength. As such, it has great potential to serve as a source for bioinspired design, for robotic manipulators for instance. First, 3D models of the vertebrae are obtained by computed tomography (CT). Next, joint surfaces of contact are approximated with polynomial surfaces, and a system of equations derived from contact modeling between surfaces is established. A constrained optimization problem is defined in order to find the best position of the vertebrae for a set of given orientations in space. As a result, the possible intervertebral range of motion is estimated.

Distribution of forces between synergistics and antagonistics muscles using an optimization criterion depending on muscle contraction behavior.

In this paper, a new neuromusculoskeletal simulation strategy is proposed. It is based on a cascade control approach with an inner muscular-force control loop and an outer joint-position control loop. The originality of the work is located in the optimization criterion used to distribute forces between synergistic and antagonistic muscles. The cost function and the inequality constraints depend on an estimation of the muscle fiber length and its time derivative. The advantages of a such criterion are exposed by theoretical analysis and numerical tests. The simulation model used in the numerical tests consists in an anthropomorphic arm model composed by two joints and six muscles. Each muscle is modeled as a second-order dynamical system including activation and contraction dynamics. Contraction dynamics is represented using a classical Hill's model.

Morphological self stabilization of locomotion gaits: illustration on a few examples from bio-inspired locomotion.

To a large extent, robotics locomotion can be viewed as cyclic motions, named gaits. Due to the high complexity of the locomotion dynamics, to find the control laws that ensure an expected gait and its stability with respect to external perturbations, is a challenging issue for feedback control. To address this issue, a promising way is to take inspiration from animals that intensively exploit the interactions of the passive degrees of freedom of their body with their physical surroundings, to outsource the high-level exteroceptive feedback control to low-level proprioceptive ones. In this case, passive interactions can ensure most of the expected control goals. In this article, we propose a methodological framework to study the role of morphology in the design of locomotion gaits and their stability. This framework ranges from modelling to control aspects, and is illustrated through three examples from bio-inspired locomotion: a three-dimensional micro air vehicle in hovering flight, a pendular planar climber and a bipedal planar walker. In these three cases, we will see how simple considerations based on the morphology of the body can ensure the existence of passive stable gaits without requiring any high-level control.