Control Interfaces for Human-Robot Interactions

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Control Interfaces for Human-Robot Interactions

J. M. Vice

In recent years, extensive advances have been made in the development of military robotic systems for such applications as reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, explosive ordinance disposal, and casualty extraction. Artificial intelligence has increased the autonomy level of such systems, while the integration of payloads has expanded the tasks they can perform. Ideally, a robotic platform would be capable of continuous, autonomous navigation in a variety of environments. However, this ability has not yet been fully demonstrated. Thus, human-robot interaction is necessary; but while much attention has been paid to robotic platforms, relatively little research and development has been dedicated to control interfaces for such systems. Effective interfaces for dismounted warfighters would minimize added load and complexity, potentially even integrated into existing gear. Specifically for casualty battlefield extraction, if a robot such as the BEAR were to be utilized, the warfighters would optimally have full control capabilities (discrete and proportional control commands) at-the-ready. Therefore, there is potentially widespread application of a navigation control unit that includes an instrumented gesture recognition glove and an M4-mounted isometric grip controller. Optimization of the HRI for the dismounted warfighter will not only increase the efficiency of the robotic casualty extraction but also help prevent the robot operator from becoming a casualty himself.