Learning of compliant human–robot interaction using full-body haptic interface

Abstract

We present a novel approach where a human demonstrator can intuitively teach robot full-body skills. The aim of this approach is to exploit human sensorimotor ability to learn how to operate a humanoid robot in real time to perform tasks involving interaction with the environment. The human skill is then used to design a controller to autonomously control the robot. To provide the demonstrator with the robot’s state suitable for the full-body motion control, we developed a novel method that transforms robot’s sensory readings into feedback appropriate for the human. This method was implemented through a haptic interface that was designed to exert forces on the demonstrator’s centre of mass corresponding to the state of the robot’s centre of mass. To evaluate the feasibility of this approach, we performed an experiment where the human demonstrator taught the robot how to compliantly interact with another human. The results of the experiment showed that the proposed approach allowed the human to intuitively teach the robot how to compliantly interact with a human.