Interday Reliability of Upper-limb Geometric MyoPassivity Map for Physical Human-Robot Interaction

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Biomechanics
• Control Theory

Background:

• Physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) increasingly utilizes human biomechanics.
• The concept of Biomechanical Excess of Passivity (BEP) maps user-specific energetic behavior.
• Current BEP mapping requires time-consuming offline identification, limiting practical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interday reliability of upper-limb passivity maps.
• To assess the consistency of BEP estimates over time for healthy subjects.
• To determine if a single BEP estimate is sufficient for repeated use in pHRI.

Main Methods:

• Five healthy subjects participated in the study.
• Upper-limb passivity maps were generated using nonlinear control theory.
• Interday reliability was statistically analyzed using Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Main Results:

• Passivity maps demonstrated high interday reliability in estimating energetic behavior.
• ICC analysis confirmed consistency across different days and interaction types.
• A one-shot BEP estimate proved reliable for repeated use.

Conclusions:

• Upper-limb passivity maps are a reliable measure for biomechanics-aware pHRI.
• The findings enhance the practicality of BEP-based control in real-world pHRI scenarios.
• This research supports the use of single-estimate BEP for stabilizing pHRI systems.