# Interacting With a Mobile Robot with a Natural Infrastructure-Less Interface

## TL;DR

This paper presents a natural, infrastructure-less interaction system for mobile robots using smartwatch gestures, improving usability and effectiveness over traditional remote controls.

## Contribution

A novel gesture-based interaction method using smartwatches for controlling mobile robots without additional infrastructure.

## Key findings

- Significant usability improvement over remote controls.
- Effective gesture recognition with accelerometer and gyroscope data.
- Positive user feedback on natural interaction experience.

## Abstract

In this paper we introduce a novel approach that enables users to interact with a mobile robot in a natural manner. The proposed interaction system does not require any specific infrastructure or device, but relies on commonly utilized objects while leaving the user's hands free. Specifically, we propose to utilize a smartwatch (or a sensorized wristband) for recognizing the motion of the user's forearm. Measurements of accelerations and angular velocities are exploited to recognize user's gestures and define velocity commands for the robot. The proposed interaction system is evaluated experimentally with different users controlling a mobile robot and compared to the use of a remote control device for the teleoperation of robots. Results show that the usability and effectiveness of the proposed natural interaction system based on the use of a smartwatch provide significant improvement in the human-robot interaction experience.