Measuring human–robot interaction on wearable robots: A distributed approach

This paper presents a novel, distributed approach to monitor physical interaction between a user and a wearable robot. We propose to apply a matrix of optoelectronic sensors embedded in a thin and compliant silicone bulk onto the user-robot contact surface. This distributed tactile sensor can measure the pressure distribution on the interaction area without affecting the comfort of the user, and does not require the robot to be specifically designed to house it. Besides the estimation of the interaction force/torque, the distributed approach allows to monitor the pressure on the user’s skin. This information is fundamental to assess the comfort and safety of the users which determine the final acceptability of the robot-mediated rehabilitation. The proposed method is preliminary evaluated on an elbow active orthosis during a repetitive rehabilitation task. Experimental results prove the relevance of this approach for the detection of the user motion intention through a measurement of the interaction force distribution.

► A novel distributed approach to measure the physical interaction between a user and a wearable robot.
► Compliant and comformant silicon sensor to measure the pressure distribution.
► Safety and comfort monitoring during the human-robot interaction.
► System validation performed through an elbow exoskeleton (NEUROExos) during a rehabilitation task.