Achieving Autonomy by Learning from Sensor-Assisted Control in a Wheelchair-Based Human-Robot Collaborative System

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Individuals with sensorimotor impairment must often rely on others to help them perform common activities of daily living. The goal of this project is to improve independence and quality of life by creating an adaptive human-robot collaborative system (a wheelchair mounted robotic arm) that learns from example to assist its user perform instrumental activities in a way that requires minimal user guidance. The project has a novel intention recognition framework that learns user goals despite imprecision of telemanipulation cues provided by the user during object interactions. The project also implements and tests a novel form of shared control authority that adaptively allocates workload between the human and robot to optimally leverage the physical capabilities and cognitive resources of the user. By doing so, this project will improve the independence of individuals with sensorimotor impairment and increase the autonomy of a wheelchair mounted assistive robot, thereby advancing NSF's mission by promoting the progress of science and advancing the national health and welfare. The project will involve an educational component that provides training to graduate students in conducting research. The project also develops a hands-on exhibit in collaboration with the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry, allowing visitors to explore the field of rehabilitation engineering.This research investigates new control methodologies that promise improved autonomy in the control of a wheelchair mounted robotic arm operated by individuals with sensorimotor impairment. The project addresses key steps in the dexterous telemanipulation of objects: object detection, classification, and affordance modeling; user intention estimation; user / robot workload distribution; and algorithm training through teleoperation. Methods include computer vision, machine learning, probabilistic graphical modeling, and human subject experimentation to develop and test the collaborative human / robot system during performance of activities such as opening/closing doors with pull and knob style handles, and fetching objects in an unstructured populated environment. Effective application of the technology promises persons with physical disabilities opportunity to achieve a high level of independence, dignity, and quality of life.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.