ExoRecovery: Push Recovery with a Lower-Limb Exoskeleton based on Stepping Strategy

Balance loss is a significant challenge in lower-limb exoskeleton applications, as it can lead to potential falls, thereby impacting user safety and confidence. We introduce a control framework for omnidirectional recovery step planning by online optimization of step duration and position in response to external forces. We map the step duration and position to a human-like foot trajectory, which is then translated into joint trajectories using inverse kinematics. These trajectories are executed via an impedance controller, promoting cooperation between the exoskeleton and the user. Moreover, our framework is based on the concept of the divergent component of motion, also known as the Extrapolated Center of Mass, which has been established as a consistent dynamic for describing human movement. This real-time online optimization framework enhances the adaptability of exoskeleton users under unforeseen forces thereby improving the overall user stability and safety. To validate the effectiveness of our approach, simulations, and experiments were conducted. Our push recovery experiments employing the exoskeleton in zero-torque mode (without assistance) exhibit an alignment with the exoskeleton's recovery assistance mode, that shows the consistency of the control framework with human intention. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cooperative push recovery framework for the lower-limb human exoskeleton that relies on the simultaneous adaptation of intra-stride parameters in both frontal and sagittal directions. The proposed control scheme has been validated with human subject experiments.

Maximizing Performance with Minimal Resources for Real-Time Transition Detection

Assistive devices, such as exoskeletons and prostheses, have revolutionized the field of rehabilitation and mobility assistance. Efficiently detecting transitions between different activities, such as walking, stair ascending and descending, and sitting, is crucial for ensuring adaptive control and enhancing user experience. We here present an approach for real-time transition detection, aimed at optimizing the processing-time performance. By establishing activity-specific threshold values through trained machine learning models, we effectively distinguish motion patterns and we identify transition moments between locomotion modes. This threshold-based method improves real-time embedded processing time performance by up to 11 times compared to machine learning approaches. The efficacy of the developed finite-state machine is validated using data collected from three different measurement systems. Moreover, experiments with healthy participants were conducted on an active pelvis orthosis to validate the robustness and reliability of our approach. The proposed algorithm achieved high accuracy in detecting transitions between activities. These promising results show the robustness and reliability of the method, reinforcing its potential for integration into practical applications.

TEAM: a parameter-free algorithm to teach collaborative robots motions from user demonstrations

Collaborative robots (cobots) built to work alongside humans must be able to quickly learn new skills and adapt to new task configurations. Learning from demonstration (LfD) enables cobots to learn and adapt motions to different use conditions. However, state-of-the-art LfD methods require manually tuning intrinsic parameters and have rarely been used in industrial contexts without experts. In this paper, the development and implementation of a LfD framework for industrial applications with naive users is presented. We propose a parameter-free method based on probabilistic movement primitives, where all the parameters are pre-determined using Jensen-Shannon divergence and bayesian optimization; thus, users do not have to perform manual parameter tuning. This method learns motions from a small dataset of user demonstrations, and generalizes the motion to various scenarios and conditions. We evaluate the method extensively in two field tests: one where the cobot works on elevator door maintenance, and one where three Schindler workers teach the cobot tasks useful for their workflow. Errors between the cobot end-effector and target positions range from $0$ to $1.48\pm0.35$mm. For all tests, no task failures were reported. Questionnaires completed by the Schindler workers highlighted the method's ease of use, feeling of safety, and the accuracy of the reproduced motion. Our code and recorded trajectories are made available online for reproduction.

Experimental evaluation of complete safe coordination of astrobots for Sloan Digital Sky Survey V

The data throughput of massive spectroscopic surveys in the course of each observation is directly coordinated with the number of optical fibers which reach their target. In this paper, we evaluate the safety and the performance of the astrobots coordination in SDSS-V by conducting various experimental and simulated tests. We illustrate that our strategy provides a complete coordination condition which depends on the operational characteristics of astrobots, their configurations, and their targets. Namely, a coordination method based on the notion of cooperative artificial potential fields is used to generate safe and complete trajectories for astrobots. Optimal target assignment further improves the performance of the used algorithm in terms of faster convergences and less oscillatory movements. Both random targets and galaxy catalog targets are employed to observe the coordination success of the algorithm in various target distributions. The proposed method is capable of handling all potential collisions in the course of coordination. Once the completeness condition is fulfilled according to initial configuration of astrobots and their targets, the algorithm reaches full convergence of astrobots. Should one assign targets to astrobots using efficient strategies, convergence time as well as the number of oscillations decrease in the course of coordination. Rare incomplete scenarios are simply resolved by trivial modifications of astrobots swarms' parameters.

SDSS-V Algorithms: Fast, Collision-Free Trajectory Planning for Heavily Overlapping Robotic Fiber Positioners

Robotic fiber positioner (RFP) arrays are becoming heavily adopted in wide field massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey instruments. RFP arrays decrease nightly operational overheads through rapid reconfiguration between fields and exposures. In comparison to similar instruments, SDSS-V has selected a very dense RFP packing scheme where any point in a field is typically accessible to three or more robots. This design provides flexibility in target assignment. However, the task of collision-less trajectory planning is especially challenging. We present two multi-agent distributed control strategies that are highly efficient and computationally inexpensive for determining collision-free paths for RFPs in heavily overlapping workspaces. We demonstrate that a reconfiguration path between two arbitrary robot configurations can be efficiently found if "folded" state, in which all robot arms are retracted and aligned in a lattice-like orientation, is inserted between the initial and final states. Although developed for SDSS-V, the approach we describe is generic and so applicable to a wide range of RFP designs and layouts. Robotic fiber positioner technology continues to advance rapidly, and in the near future ultra-densely packed RFP designs may be feasible. Our algorithms are especially capable in routing paths in very crowded environments, where we see efficient results even in regimes significantly more crowded than the SDSS-V RFP design.

Four-Arm Manipulation via Feet Interfaces

We seek to augment human manipulation by enabling humans to control two robotic arms in addition to their natural arms using their feet. Thereby, the hands are free to perform tasks of high dexterity, while the feet-controlled arms perform tasks requiring lower dexterity, such as supporting a load. The robotic arms are tele-operated through two foot interfaces that transmit translation and rotation to the end effector of the manipulator. Haptic feedback is provided for the human to perceive contact and change in load and to adapt the feet pressure accordingly. Existing foot interfaces have been used primarily for a single foot control and are limited in range of motion and number of degrees of freedom they can control. This paper presents foot-interfaces specifically made for bipedal control, with a workspace suitable for two feet operation and in five degrees of freedom each. This paper also presents a position-force teleoperation controller based on Impedance Control modulated through Dynamical Systems for trajectory generation. Finally, an initial validation of the platform is presented, whereby a user grasps an object with both feet and generates various disturbances while the object is supported by the feet.

Cable-driven robotic interface for lower limb neuromechanics identification

This paper presents a versatile cable-driven robotic interface to investigate the single-joint joint neuromechanics of the hip, knee and ankle. This endpoint-based interface offers highly dynamic interaction and accurate position control, as is typically required for neuromechanics identification. It can be used with the subject upright, corresponding to natural posture during walking or standing, and does not impose kinematic constraints on a joint, in contrast to existing interfaces. Mechanical evaluations demonstrated that the interface yields a rigidity above 500N/m with low viscosity. Tests with a rigid dummy leg and linear springs show that it can identify the mechanical impedance of a limb accurately. A smooth perturbation is developed and tested with a human subject, which can be used to estimate the hip neuromechanics.