Hybrid path controller enables haptic guidance along self-crossing paths

at - Automatisierungstechnik, vol. 73, pp. 895–910

Abstract

Abstract Until today, in the field of motor learning and rehabilitation, haptic controllers were mostly limited to teach simple tasks such as movements along straight lines, curves, or circles. However, commonly, real-life tasks consist of more complex movements such as in writing, rehabilitation, or surgery. In this paper, a novel haptic controller for robot-assisted learning is introduced. This hybrid path controller can cope with interfering path sections, while it also incorporates the common requirements of effective motor learning: it allows freedom for making spatial errors, free timing to explore the task dynamics, and adaptation to the current skill level of the user. In a practicability study with two different robots, results confirmed the full functionality of the controller and its applicability for a broad range of complex movements.

Authors 3

1. Georg Rauter

   University of Basel

   Affiliation as printed

   BIROMED-Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering , 776 University of Basel , Hegenheimermattweg 167C, Allschwil , Basel , Switzerland

2. Nicolas Gerig

   University of Basel

   Affiliation as printed

   BIROMED-Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering , 776 University of Basel , Hegenheimermattweg 167C, Allschwil , Basel , Switzerland

3. Heike Vallery Aachen Institute of Automatic Control (IRT)

   RWTH Aachen University · Erasmus MC · Delft University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Biomechanical Engineering , Delft University of Technology , Delft , The Netherlands

   Department of Rehabilitation Medicine , Erasmus Medical Centre , Rotterdam , The Netherlands

   Institute of Automatic Control, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen , Germany