An instrumented glove for grasp specification in virtual-reality-based point-and-direct telerobotics

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Robotic manipulation relies on precise hand posture and force control for grasping objects.
• Current telemanipulation methods often require complex force feedback, posing computational and delay challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel grasp specification system using an instrumented glove for robotic manipulation.
• To integrate this system into a Virtual Reality based Point-and-Direct (VR-PAD) robotics implementation.

Main Methods:

• An instrumented glove with joint and force sensors (Force-Sensitive Resistor) was developed to capture hand posture and force data.
• Data was collected for manipulating various objects, including bricks, requiring different force applications.
• A joint/force model was validated for the instrumented glove relating finger articulation and pressure to lifting tasks.

Main Results:

• The feasibility of measuring desired grasp characteristics using a modified Cyberglove was demonstrated.
• A joint/force model was successfully validated, linking glove parameters to lifting tasks.
• The system enables robots to autonomously define grasping and motion strategies based on operator input.

Conclusions:

• The developed grasp specification system, integrated with VR-PAD, offers a natural way for operators to direct robots.
• This approach simplifies robotic grasping by specifying parameters once as 'object flavors', which the robot maintains.
• Potential applications include hazardous waste remediation, flexible manufacturing, and space operations, overcoming telemanipulation limitations.