Publications - Conference Paper

Based on previous experience with prosthesis users and literature, this paper introduces three important aspects to further develop functional transradial myoelectric prostheses: stiffness modulation, grasp reliability and limb dexterity. In particular, we propose three possible solutions and discuss on the insights observed about the exploration of impedance control in prosthetic hands during Activities of Daily Living and social interaction, the introduction of an articulated palm to increase all hand parts contribution in grasping, and a compact 3 DoF myoelectric wrist capable to switch from compliant to rigid properties during pre-grasping phase to decrease compensatory movements and favour more natural body postures in prosthesis users.

Existing dual-arm teleoperation systems function on one-to-one coupling of the human and robotic arms to fully exploit the user's dexterity during bimanual tele-manipulation. While the individual coordination of the robot end-effectors can be necessary for complex and asymmetric tasks, it may result in a cumbersome user experience during symmetric bimanual tasks (e.g. manipulating and carrying objects). In this paper we propose a novel framework that includes the one-to-one direct control and a new shared autonomy strategy. The user can autonomously choose between the two, and if the new one is selected the robots move in a coordinated way, in which desired positions are extrapolated from the movements and gestures of just one users arm. These gesture commands are interpreted and handled by the control, with the purpose of unloading the users cognitive burden. Lastly, the tele-impedance paradigm, i.e., the remote control of robot impedance and position references, is applied to both controls, to improve remote physical interaction performances. The paper reports on the overall proposed architecture, its implementation and its preliminary validation trough a multi subject experimental campaign.