Towards Wearable Interfaces for Robotic Caregiving

TL;DR

This paper explores wearable interfaces for robotic caregiving, introducing the HAT system, shared control algorithms, and passive control concepts to improve usability and reduce user workload for individuals with impairments.

Contribution

It presents the design and evaluation of the HAT wearable interface, shared control algorithms, and the novel passive control concept for robotic caregiving.

Findings

HAT improves user interaction with caregiving robots.

Shared control reduces user workload during tasks.

Passive control effectively detects human signals to guide robots.

Abstract

Physically assistive robots in home environments can enhance the autonomy of individuals with impairments, allowing them to regain the ability to conduct self-care and household tasks. Individuals with physical limitations may find existing interfaces challenging to use, highlighting the need for novel interfaces that can effectively support them. In this work, we present insights on the design and evaluation of an active control wearable interface named HAT, Head-Worn Assistive Teleoperation. To tackle challenges in user workload while using such interfaces, we propose and evaluate a shared control algorithm named Driver Assistance. Finally, we introduce the concept of passive control, in which wearable interfaces detect implicit human signals to inform and guide robotic actions during caregiving tasks, with the aim of reducing user workload while potentially preserving the feeling of control.