Haptic Interface for Domestic Service Robot

Abstract

Domestic service robots are designed for human environment. Therefore, the robot should be controlled by means of natural interactions rather than the common controllers used in laboratory setting (e.g. keyboard or joypad). In this paper, a feature for controlling a domestic service robot through physical interaction is presented. The feature showcases the utilization of the robot's manipulator as its haptic interface. The feature uses low pass filter and proportional-integral- derivative (PID) controller which remove the rapid fluctuation in the force input and stabilize the velocity output. The robot's omnidirectional capability is accommodated through different interaction modes which can be selected based on the user preference. Through the proposed approach, the physical interaction will be translated into base motion commands which adjust itself autonomously. The result is a more natural way of controlling the robot. The feature has been proven to be intuitive and safe through the user trial which was performed in a domestic environment. 