Manipulating a Flexible Robotic Arm Using Augmented Reality
Imperial College London researchers have developed a bendy robotic arm that can be controlled by a person wearing AR goggles.
Researchers from the Imperial College London have developed an augmented reality system that allows them to control a malleable robotic arm within a given workspace, making it readily customizable for any number of applications, including manufacturing, spacecraft maintenance and injury rehabilitation. The robotic arm eschews the rigid limbs found on most robotic arms in favor of a readily-bendable configuration that can conform to a wide variety of shapes, a process that is typically done via manual manipulation.
The team built the system to use AR to gain a more practical approach, which allows the users to see how to configure the robotic arm. This is accomplished by utilizing mixed-reality glasses and motion-tracking cameras that overlay templates and designs superimposed in the real-world environment. Once the desired shape is chosen, the user adjusts the arm to match until the template turns green to signify a successful completion, locked in place and ready to go.
“One of the key issues in adjusting these robots is accuracy in their new position. We humans aren’t great at making sure the new position matches the template, which is why we looked to AR for help,” states Dr. Nicolas Rojas of the Dyson School of Design Engineering. “We’ve shown that AR can simplify working alongside our malleable robot. The approach gives users a range of easy-to-create robot positions, for all sorts of applications, without needing so much technical expertise.”
The researchers are still perfecting the robotic arm and their AR system and are currently looking at introducing touch and audio elements to boost its accuracy. More details can be found in the team's paper.