Using arm sensors that can “read” a person’s muscle movements, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have created a control system that makes robots more intelligent. The sensors send information to the robot, allowing it to anticipate a human’s movements and correct its own. The system is intended to improve time, safety and efficiency in manufacturing plants.
The Georgia Tech system eliminates the vibrations by using sensors worn on a controller’s forearm. The devices send muscle movements to a computer, which provides the robot with the operator’s level of muscle contraction. The system judges the operator's physical status and intelligently adjusts how it should interact with the human. The result is a robot that moves easily and safely.
“Instead of having the robot react to a human, we give it more information,” said Billy Gallagher, a recent Georgia Tech Ph.D. graduate in robotics who led the project. “Modeling the operator in this way allows the robot to actively adjust to changes in the way the operator moves.”
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