Improving Telerobotic Touch via High-frequency Acceleration Matching

— Humans rely on information-laden high-frequency accelerations in addition to quasi-static forces when interacting with objects via a handheld tool. Telerobotic systems have traditionally struggled to portray such contact transients due to closed-loop bandwidth and stability limitations, leaving remote objects feeling soft and undefined. This work seeks to maximize the user’s feel for the environment through the approach of acceleration matching; high-frequency fingertip accelerations are combined with standard low-frequency position feedback without requiring a secondary actuator on the master device. In this method, the natural dynamics of the master are identified offline using frequency-domain techniques, estimating the relationship between commanded motor current and handle acceleration while a user holds the device. During subsequent telerobotic interactions, a high-bandwidth sensor measures accelerations at the slave’s end effector, and the real-time controller re-cre...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, Günter Niemeyer
• Keywords: Acceleration, ICRA 2006, Quasi-static Forces, Robotics, Sensor Measures Accelerations