Development of the assistive mobile robot system: AMOS—to aid in the daily life of the physically handicapped

It can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally, to assist physically handicapped persons. Therefore, an assistive mobile system called AMOS (Assistive MObile robot System) has been developed to help alleviate this burden. The purpose of AMOS is to pick up and transport daily use objects, placing them in a designated indoor location semi-autonomously. AMOS consists of a self-contained mobile robot body, a user interface with a touch-panel and a computer network (Ethernet LAN, Internet). The user interacts with the mobile robot through a Web browser connected to a computer network, allowing for communication anytime, from anywhere and by anyone. This mode provides a simple way for communicating with and determining the status of the robot. Experiments were performed to verify the successful operation of AMOS. Although the system performed as designed, it would prove useful to the extend service area of the robot through communication mechanisms and the user interface.     

Evaluation of a Small Socially-Assistive Humanoid Robot in Intelligent Homes for the Care of the Elderly

The ageing population phenomenon is pushing the design of innovative solutions to provide assistance to the elderly. In this context a socially–assistive robot can act as a proactive interface in a smart-home environment, providing multimodal communication channels and generating positive feelings in users. The present paper reports results of a short term and a long term evaluation of a small socially assistive humanoid robot in a smart home environment. Eight elderly people tested an integrated smart–home robot system in five real–world scenarios. Six of the participants experienced the system in two sessions over a two week period; the other two participants had a prolonged experience of eight sessions over a three month period. Results showed that the small humanoid robot was trusted by the participants. A cross–cultural comparison showed that results were not due to the cultural background of the participants. The long term evaluation showed that the participants might engage in an emotional relationship with the robot, but that perceived enjoyment might decrease over time.     

Evaluation of active wearable assistive devices with human posture reproduction using a humanoid robot*

This study proposes a quantitative evaluation method for assessing active wearable assistive devices that can efficiently support the human body. We utilize a humanoid robot to simulate human users wearing assistive devices owing to various advantages offered by the robot such as quantitative torque measurement from sensors and highly repeatable motion. In this study, we propose a scheme for estimating the supportive torques supplied by a device called stationary torque replacement. To validate the reliability of this evaluation method by using a humanoid robot, we conducted measurements of human muscular activity during assisted motion. Analysis of the measured muscle activity revealed that a humanoid robot closely simulates the actual usage of assistive devices. Finally, we showed the feasibility of the proposed evaluation method through an experiment with the humanoid robot platform HRP-4 and the Muscle Suit active assistive device. With the proposed method, the supportive effects of the assistive device could be measured quantitatively in terms of the static supportive torque acting directly on the body of a simulated human user.     

User evaluation of a novel eye-based control modality for robot-assisted object retrieval

In recent years, great efforts have been put into the investigation of assistive robotics. However, rapid growth in robot functionality has caused control of these robots to become more complex. Natural interaction interfaces between the user and robot systems are highly desired to promote the usability of these robots in practical applications. This paper presents a novel intuitive gaze-based system, which enables a user to effectively command an assistive robot with his/her gaze. This system has the potential to help those, who have limited mobility and/or are confined in bed, with their daily living. Using this system, the object that needs to be manipulated can be directly identified and localized by simply looking at it by the user. Then the assistive robot is activated to perform appropriate manipulation of the object. In the experiments, participants were able to successfully accomplish the object retrieval tasks using the presented system. Moreover, results from subjective evaluation showed high usability of the presented system.     

基于模糊神经网络的智能轮椅导航系统

智能轮椅将移动机器人的技术应用于电动轮椅，帮助老年和残障人士提高行动自由度。本文针对轮椅的运动特性，提出一种简单、高效的分区算法对轮椅传感器所获得的数据进行初步融合，并将障碍物距离信息模糊化，采用BP神经网络对障碍物环境进行分类。利用L-M优化算法进行模式识别。轮椅运动的动态仿真结果表明，该算法具有较好的实时性和可靠性，同时也适用于其它移动机器人的导航系统。     

Efficient Services Management in Libraries using AI and Wireless techniques

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) has been used in a wide variety of applications such as highway toll collection, building access control, animal tracking, remote keyless entry for automobiles and tracking assets. For example, RFID in libraries, with a modest investment, can improve the capabilities of both librarians and users. This paper presents a new use of RFID in libraries to help determining the physical location of a book within the library and to provide assistance to users to arrive to the desired locations.Our initial prototype, named SIGUEME, has been extended and experimentally implemented in Meco’s Public Library (Madrid, Spain). The application comprises three main systems: an electronic one – which detects users through a RFID sensors system; an AI-based system to plan and to monitor the users’ requests according to their interests; and finally a screen-based information system that communicates visually the directions the users have to follow. We have developed a wireless communications system based on Zigbee technology to allow both, the information flow across the building and to connect the antennas to detect RFID users. This eliminates the need for using wires.The application not only helps users to easily locate the books or the reading rooms inside the building, but also automates tasks manually performed by the library staff (i.e. generate statistics about books usage time, age-related usage, etc).     

New evaluation framework for human-assistive devices based on humanoid robotics

This paper presents the new application of a humanoid robot as an evaluator of human-assistive devices. The reliable and objective evaluation framework for assistive devices is necessary for making industrial standards in order that those devices are used in various applications. In this framework, we utilize a recent humanoid robot with its high similarity to humans, human motion retargeting techniques to a humanoid robot, and identification techniques of robot’s mechanical properties. We also show two approaches to estimate supporting torques from the sensor data, which can be used properly according to the situations. With the general formulation of the wire-driven multi-body system, the supporting torque of passive assistive devices is also formulated. We evaluate a passive assistive wear ‘Smart Suit Lite (SSL)’ as an example of device, and use HRP-4 as the humanoid platform.     

Control of a 2 DoF robot using a Brain–Machine Interface

In this paper, a non-invasive spontaneous Brain–Machine Interface (BMI) is used to control the movement of a planar robot. To that end, two mental tasks are used to manage the visual interface that controls the robot. The robot used is a PupArm, a force-controlled planar robot designed by the nBio research group at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (Spain). Two control strategies are compared: hierarchical and directional control. The experimental test (performed by four users) consists of reaching four targets. The errors and time used during the performance of the tests are compared in both control strategies (hierarchical and directional control). The advantages and disadvantages of each method are shown after the analysis of the results. The hierarchical control allows an accurate approaching to the goals but it is slower than using the directional control which, on the contrary, is less precise. The results show both strategies are useful to control this planar robot. In the future, by adding an extra device like a gripper, this BMI could be used in assistive applications such as grasping daily objects in a realistic environment. In order to compare the behavior of the system taking into account the opinion of the users, a NASA Tasks Load Index (TLX) questionnaire is filled out after two sessions are completed.     

融合运动想象脑电与眼电信号的机械臂控制系统开发

脑机接口(brain computer interface, BCI)旨在通过脑电信号与外部设备通信,以实现对外部设备的控制。针对目前脑机接口系统中混合多种复杂生理电信号,并且输出控制指令较少的问题,本文提出融合运动想象(motor imagery, MI)脑电与眼电信号方法扩充控制指令的轻量级机械臂控制系统。该系统分阶段融合脑电和眼电信号两种生物信号,使用双次眼电作为任务开关,运动想象脑电信号控制机械臂运动,单次眼电控制阶段切换,实现了二分类运动想象生成多种控制指令,完成了对机械臂的连续控制。其中运动想象脑电信号使用提升小波变换(lifting wavelet transform, LWT)和共空间模式(common spatial pattern, CSP)结合的方法提取特征,并采用支持向量机(support vector machines, SVM)进行分类;眼电信号通过分析无意识眼电和有意识眼电的峰值来设置阈值进行区分。为了验证系统的可行性,设计了一项脑控机械臂自主服药实验,通过在线实验测试,被试通过使用脑电信号和眼电信号实现了机械臂控制,并完成了服药流程,有利于进一步推广脑机接口技术的实际应用。     

基于无线传感器技术的人机接口系统设计

在综合研究脑电和眼电信号采集理论和方法的基础上,研制出一种基于无线传感器技术的新型多通道人机接口系统,包括无线传感器部分、信号处理和控制电路部分.该系统实时采集受试者垂直眼电和水平眼电,将其数字化,通过短距离无线技术传送给主机,主机信号处理系统根据眼电幅值判断受试者眼球转动方向,由此控制遥控汽车做相应的移动.实验结果表...     

Development of a guide-dog robot: human�Crobot interface considering walking conditions for a visually handicapped person

The repletion rate of guide dogs for visually handicapped persons is roughly 10% nationwide. The reasons for this low rate are the long training period and the expense for obtaining a guide dog in Japan. Motivated by these two reasons, we are developing guide-dog robots. The major objective is to develop an intelligent human?Crobot interface. This paper describes two novel interface algorithms and strategy to guide visually handicapped person. We developed new leading edge searching method, which uses a single laser range finder (LRF) developed to find the center of the corridor in an indoor environment. We also developed a new twin cluster trace method that can recognize the led-person??s walking conditions measured by the LRF. The algorithm allows the guide-dog robot to accurately estimate and anticipate the led-person??s next move. We experimentally verified these algorithms. The results show that the algorithms are reliable enough to enable the guide-dog robot and the led-person to maneuver in a complex corridor environment.     

Accessible smartphones for blind users: A case study for a wayfinding system

While progress on assistive technologies have been made, some blind users still face several problems opening and using basic functionalities when interacting with touch interfaces. Sometimes, people with visual impairments may also have problems navigating autonomously, without personal assistance, especially in unknown environments. This paper presents a complete solution to manage the basic functions of a smartphone and to guide users using a wayfinding application. This way, a blind user could go to work from his home in an autonomous way using an adaptable wayfinding application on his smartphone. The wayfinding application combines text, map, auditory and tactile feedback for providing the information. Eighteen visually impaired users tested the application. Preliminary results from this study show that blind people and limited vision users can effectively use the wayfinding application without help. The evaluation also confirms the usefulness of extending the vibration feedback to convey distance information as well as directional information. The validation was successful for iOS and Android devices.     

图灵机器人在计算机知识问答平台的应用研究

文章设计实现了一款Android应用-TuringAskAnswer,通过自定义私人语料库实现计算机知识问答题目的导入,调用图灵机器人API接口实现智能问答功能,帮助准备面试的用户随时查阅公司面试时经常会问的问题,同时Turing机器人会讲笑话、讲故事,为忙于准备面试的用户缓解压力.     

RFID breadcrumbs for enhanced care data management and dissemination

Conventionally, RFID tags are used to identify uniquely objects whose data can then be accessed over the network. This implies that the data storage capacity (up to 4K) of HF RFID has usually been neglected. In contrast, this work follows the data-on-tag approach, combining RFID and NFC technologies, with the aim of improving care data management in assistive environments. It analyzes the potential and feasibility of writing and reading small breadcrumbs of information at/from residents’ RFID wristbands, as a solution to the inherent difficulties of gathering, processing and disseminating data within a multi-user, multi-stakeholder assistive environment such as a residence or a caring home. As a result of this, an AAL platform is extended to deploy what we have termed as the “RFID breadcrumbing” interaction metaphor.     

oDect: an RFID‐based object detection API to support applications development on mobile devices

The RFID technology is becoming ever more popular in the development of ubiquitous computing applications. A full exploitation of the RFID potential requires the study and implementation of human–computer interaction (HCI) modalities to be able to support wide usability by the target audience. This implies the need for programming methodologies specifically dedicated to support the easy and efficient prototyping of applications to have feedback from early tests with users. On the basis of our field‐working experience, we have designed oDect, a high‐level language and platform‐independent application programming interface (API), ad hoc designed to meet the needs of typical applications for mobile devices (smart phones and PDAs). oDect aims at allowing application developers to create their prototypes focusing on the needs of the final users, without having to care about the low‐level software that interacts with the RFID hardware. Further, in an end‐user developing (EUD) approach, oDect provides specific support for the application end‐user herself to cope with typical problems of RFID applications in detecting objects. We describe in detail the features of the API and discuss the findings of a test with four programmers, where we analyse and evaluate the use of the API in four sample applications. We also present results of an end‐user test, which investigated strengths and weaknesses of the territorial agenda (TA) concept. The TA is an RFID‐based citizen guide that aids—through time‐ and location‐based reminders—users in their daily activities in a city. The TA directly exploits EUD features of oDect, in particular concerning the possibility of linking detected objects with custom actions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Strategy of approach for seizure of an assistive mobile manipulator

In assistive robotics, a manipulator arm constitutes one possible solution for restoring some manipulation functions to victims of upper limb disabilities. The aim of this paper is to present a global strategy of approach of an assistive mobile manipulator (manipulator arm mounted on a mobile base). A manipulability criterion is defined to deal with the redundancy of the system. The aim is to keep the arm manipulable, i.e. capable of moving by itself. The strategy is based on human-like behaviour to help the disabled operator to understand the action of the robot. When the robot is far from its objective, only the mobile base moves, thus avoiding obstacles if necessary. When the objective is close to the robot, both mobile base and arm move and redundancy can be used to maximise a manipulability criterion. All the situations are tested separately and a global mission is realised in which all the previous situations are encountered. The partial results obtained with the real robot consolidate the results of simulation. This paper does not propose an autonomous path planning and navigation of the mobile arm but an assistance to the user for remote controlling it.     

An articulated assistive robot for intuitive hands-on-payload manipulation

This paper presents an intelligent assistive robot designed to help operators in lifting and moving large payloads through direct physical contact (hands-on-payload mode). The mechanical design of the robot is first presented. Although its kinematics are similar to that of a cable-suspended system, the proposed mechanism is based on articulated linkages, thereby allowing the payload to be offset from the rail support on which it is suspended. A dynamic model of the robot is then developed. It is shown that a simplified dynamic model can be obtained using geometric assumptions. Based on the simplified dynamic model, a controller is then presented that handles the physical human-robot interaction and that provides the operator with an intuitive direct control of the payload. Experimental validation on a full-scale prototype is presented in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed robot and controller.     

Internet browsing application based on electrooculography for disabled people

This paper describes an Internet browsing application based on electrooculography (EOG) aimed at people with a severe motor disability, i.e., people who cannot move their arms. This application is made up of two subsystems: writing and browser. It allows the user to navigate through Internet introducing text, clicking on active elements and moving around the screen using only their eyes. It also includes a word predictor to increase navigation speed. An EOG algorithm is capable of detecting four different directions of the users’ eyes movement: left, right, up and down, and the blink. With these five commands, the user has full control of the application. Six healthy volunteers tested the Internet browsing application by performing three different tests that consisted of writing, searching and mouse controlling tasks. The results show that all users are capable of completing the whole tests in a reasonable time and they improve their speed with training. These results suggest that the Internet browsing application could be used by disabled people, improving their integration in the information society.     

Network Distributed Multi-Functional Robotic System Supporting the Elderly and Disabled People

We have been developing a network distributed Human-Assistance Robotic System in order to improve care cost and the QoL (Quality of Life) of the elderly people in the population-aging society. We developed multi-functional robotic system and implemented several CORBA application servers to provide some basic services to aid the aged or disabled. A novel method of localization of mobile robot with a camera and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is proposed as it is inexpensive, flexible and easy to use in practical environment. A video/audio conference system is also developed to improve the interaction among the users, switch robot manipulating privilege with the help of a centralized user management server, and enable a web-user to get a better understanding of what is going on in the local environment. Considering multi-type user of the developed, we have implemented multiple HRIs (Human Robot Interfaces) that enable different user to control robot systems easily.     

Remote navigation of a mobile robot in an RFID-augmented environment

In the current article, we address the problem of constructing radiofrequency identification (RFID)-augmented environments for mobile robots and the issues related to creating user interfaces for efficient remote navigation with a mobile robot in such environments. First, we describe an RFID-based positioning and obstacle identification solution for remotely controlled mobile robots in indoor environments. In the robot system, an architecture specifically developed by the authors for remotely controlled robotic systems was tested in practice. Second, using the developed system, three techniques for displaying information about the position and movements of a remote robot to the user were compared. The experimental visualization techniques displayed the position of the robot on an indoor floor plan augmented with (1) a video view from a camera attached to the robot, (2) display of nearby obstacles (identified using RFID technology) on the floor plan, and (3) both features. In the experiment, test subjects controlled the mobile robot through predetermined routes as quickly as possible avoiding collisions. The results suggest that the developed RFID-based environment and the remote control system can be used for efficient control of mobile robots. The results from the comparison of the visualization techniques showed that the technique without a camera view (2) was the fastest, and the number of steering motions made was smallest using this technique, but it also had the highest need for physical human interventions. The technique with both additional features (3) was subjectively preferred by the users. The similarities and differences between the current results and those found in the literature are discussed.