Differences in Optimal Control Strategies for Bimanual Coordination Between Dominant and Non-Dominant Hands in...

Remote operation using dual-arm robots has the potential to increase the efficiency and safety of tasks traditionally carried out by humans. However, coordinating two robotic arms for tasks that involve both hands is challenging because the operation is conducted via interfaces that may not provide intuitive control. This paper investigates optimal control strategies for the intuitive teleoperation of dual-arm robots. An experiment in which subjects operate two interfaces to control a virtual object is conducted. The manipulation amounts (inputs) for six degrees of freedom (X, Y, Z, roll, pitch, and yaw) are the independent variables and the positions and orientations of the target object are the dependent variables. Multiple regression analysis is used to construct an optimized regression model for coordination. The coefficients of the model are used to analyze the essential elements and the mutual influence between the left and right hands. The results indicate that bimanual coordination can be achieved by appropriately coordinating the influences of the two hands. It is found that the degree of influence between the left and right hands tends to vary based on whether the regression model is for the dominant or non-dominant hand.