Control Interface Remapping for Bias-Aware Assistive Teleoperation

Users of assistive devices vary in their extent of motor impairment, and hence their physical interaction with control interfaces can differ. There is the potential for improved utility if control interface actuation is mapped to assistive device control signals in a manner customized to each user. In this paper, we present (1) a method for creating a custom interface to assistive device control mapping based on the design of a user's bias profile, (2) a procedure and virtual task for gathering interface actuation data from which to build the bias profile and map, and (3) an evaluation of our method on 6 participants with upper limb motor impairments. Our results show that custom interface remapping based on user bias profiles shows promise in providing assistance via an improvement in the reachability of the device control space. This effect was especially pronounced for individuals who had a more limited reachable space.