Abstract
In service robotics, safe human-robot interaction (HRI) is still an open research topic, requiring developments both in hardware and in software as well as their integration. In UMAY1 and MEDICARE-C2projects, we addressed both mechanism design and perception aspects of a framework for safe HRI. Our first focus was to design variable stiffness joints for the robotic neck and arm to enable inherent compliance to protect a human collaborator. We demonstrate the advantages of variable stiffness actuators (VSA) in compliancy, safety, and energy efficiency with applications in exoskeleton and rehabilitation robotics. The variable-stiffness robotic neck mechanism was later scaled down and adopted in the robotic endoscope featuring hyper-redundancy. The hyper-redundant structures are more controllable, having efficient actuation and better feedback. Lastly, a smart robotic skin is introduced to explain the safety support via enhancement of tactile perception. Although it is developed for a hyper-redundant endoscopic robotic platform, the artificial skin can also be integrated in service robotics to provide multimodal tactile feedback. This chapter gives an overview of systems and their integration to attain a safer HRI. We follow a holistic approach for inherent compliancy via mechanism design (i.e., variable stiffness), precise control (i.e., hyper-redundancy), and multimodal tactile perception (i.e., smart robotic-skins).
Highlights
In medical mechatronics, especially in the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) applications, the design challenge often has multiple sources
The tactile sensor applications are limited to certain locations, which tends to be the tip of the device especially for robotic catheters
We provided an extensive overview of variable stiffness, hyper-redundancy, and smart-skin structures in application cases
Summary
Especially in the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) applications, the design challenge often has multiple sources. Service Robotics difficulties can be generally grouped in relation to mechanism/structural design, actuation selection, and perception. We present three different novel approaches which can provide feasible solution to the design challenges while improving the safety. Involving the tactile sensing units in the robotic skin or sheath can help obtain better feedback and more accurate diagnosis and/or provide safer operation when there are obstacles in the path.
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