MRI: Equipment Development: Bimanual Robotic Manipulation and Sensory Workspace

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Proposal #: 12-29566PI(s): Lynch, Kevin M; Argall, Brenna; Colgate, J. Edward; Murphey, Todd D; Wu, YingInstitution: Northwestern UniversityTitle: MRI/Dev.: Bimanual Robotic Manipulation and Sensory Workspace Project Proposed:This project, developing an instrument consisting of robot arms/arms and vision-related equipment, aims to advance research in dexterous dynamic robot manipulation. The major components of the system are a two-arm manipulation system consisting of two 7-DOF WAM arms and three-finger hands with tactile and force-torque sensors; a sensory workspace consisting of high-speed vision for object tracking and color-depth cameras for lower-speed color imaging and occupancy maps; and a user command and control workstation, all integrated using software running under the Robot Operating System (ROS). The instrument enables research in various areas, such as manipulation, haptics, learning-by-demonstration, gesture recognition, rehabilitation, prosthetics, and novel sensing modalities (e.g., active electrosense).Broader Impacts:The area of human-robot interaction should gain much from this instrument. An active area of research, dual-arm manipulation is extremely relevant in the context of manufacturing, which constitutes an important and urgent national concern. In terms of outreach and the involvement of under-represented groups, the team?s track record is evidenced by institutional programs, like summer research opportunities and partnerships to Girl Scout troops and local science museums. This project aims to place PhD students involved in the project as interns at Barrett Technologies, thus providing opportunities to closely collaborate with the robot arm/hand designer. Such collaboration transcends the traditional vendor-buyer relationship to possibly co-design and co-publish material and software components.