Industrial robots have been identified as one of the most effective solutions for optimising output and quality within many industries. However, there are a number of manufacturing applications involving complex tasks and inconstant components which prohibit the use of fully automated solutions in the foreseeable future. A breakthrough in robotic technologies and changes in safety legislations have supported the creation of robots that coexist and assist humans in industrial applications. It has been broadly recognised that human-robot collaborative systems would be a realistic solution as an advanced production system with wide range of applications and high economic impact. This type of system can utilise the best of both worlds, where the robot can perform simple tasks that require high repeatability while the human performs tasks that require judgement and dexterity of the human hands. Robots in such system will operate as “intelligent assistants”. In a collaborative working environment, robot and human share the same working area, and interact with each other. This level of interface will require effective ways of communication and collaboration to avoid unwanted conflicts. This project aims to create a user interface for industrial collaborative robot system through integration of current robotic technologies. The robotic system is designed for seamless collaboration with a human in close proximity. The system is capable to communicate with the human via the exchange of gestures, as well as visual signal which operators can observe and comprehend at a glance. The main objective of this PhD is to develop a Human-Robot Interface (HRI) for communication with an industrial collaborative robot during collaboration in proximity. The system is developed in conjunction with a small scale collaborative robot system which has been integrated using off-the-shelf components. The system should be capable of receiving input from the human user via an intuitive method as well as indicating its status to the user ii effectively. The HRI will be developed using a combination of hardware integrations and software developments. The software and the control framework were developed in a way that is applicable to other industrial robots in the future. The developed gesture command system is demonstrated on a heavy duty industrial robot.

The research community around gesture-based interaction has so far not paid attention to the possibility of replacing the keyboard with natural gestures for writing purposes. Additionally, insight into the actual user experience of such an interaction style is only insufficiently provided. This work presents a novel approach for text input that is based on a manual alphabet, MATImyo. The hand alphabet was developed in a user-centered design process involving potential users in pre-studies, design process and evaluation procedure. In a Wizard-of-Oz style experiment with accompanying interviews, the alphabet’s quality as input language for composing electronic texts was evaluated and the user experience of such an interaction style assessed. MATImyo was found to be very suitable as gestural input language with a positive user experience. The whole process of designing MATImyo and evaluating its suitability and user experience was based on the principles of Embodied Interaction, which was chosen as theoretical framework. This work contributes to understanding the bigger picture of the user experience of gesture-based interaction and presents a novel, more natural text input method.

Industrial robots have been identified as one of the most effective solutions for optimising output and quality within many industries. However, there are a number of manufacturing applications involving complex tasks and inconstant components which prohibit the use of fully automated solutions in the foreseeable future. A breakthrough in robotic technologies and changes in safety legislations have supported the creation of robots that coexist and assist humans in industrial applications. It has been broadly recognised that human-robot collaborative systems would be a realistic solution as an advanced production system with wide range of applications and high economic impact. This type of system can utilise the best of both worlds, where the robot can perform simple tasks that require high repeatability while the human performs tasks that require judgement and dexterity of the human hands. Robots in such system will operate as “intelligent assistants”. In a collaborative working environment, robot and human share the same working area, and interact with each other. This level of interface will require effective ways of communication and collaboration to avoid unwanted conflicts. This project aims to create a user interface for industrial collaborative robot system through integration of current robotic technologies. The robotic system is designed for seamless collaboration with a human in close proximity. The system is capable to communicate with the human via the exchange of gestures, as well as visual signal which operators can observe and comprehend at a glance. The main objective of this PhD is to develop a Human-Robot Interface (HRI) for communication with an industrial collaborative robot during collaboration in proximity. The system is developed in conjunction with a small scale collaborative robot system which has been integrated using off-the-shelf components. The system should be capable of receiving input from the human user via an intuitive method as well as indicating its status to the user ii effectively. The HRI will be developed using a combination of hardware integrations and software developments. The software and the control framework were developed in a way that is applicable to other industrial robots in the future. The developed gesture command system is demonstrated on a heavy duty industrial robot.

De nos jours, le maintien de l'asepsie dans la salle d'opération est vital pour la limitation de la transmission d'infections nosocomiales au patient lors de l'opération. Des mesures d'asepsie drastiques ont pour but de préserver la zone stérile de tout agent infectieux.Elles interdisent actuellement au chirurgien d'interagir avec les équipements non-stériles du bloc.Le chirurgien opérant souhaiterait cependant disposer d'un contrôle direct sur certains équipements spécifiques du bloc dans des situations données sans enfreindre ces mesures.Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse concernent le développement d'une Interface Homme-Machine permettant la commande gestuelle sans contact, et donc sans transmission d'agents infectieux, de tels équipements.Dans la continuité des travaux existants dans la littérature, une chaîne de traitement basée sur des techniques de vision informatique et un prototype de caméra portée par l'utilisateur ont ainsi été développés pour atteindre ces objectifs. Ce document présente les études comparatives menées sur des algorithmes issus de la littérature afin de sélectionner les plus aptes à être employés dans la chaîne logicielle. Un descripteur géométrique dédié aux mains est introduit, et des approches coopératives sont investiguées sur les étapes de localisation de la main et de classification de la posture prise.Les performances de la chaîne de traitement ainsi créée sont évaluées dans différentes situations à l'aide de bases d'images et de vidéos extensives acquises dans des conditions proches de celles du bloc opératoire, ainsi que sur des images synthétiques réalisées sur un modèle virtuel de main créé ad hoc.Un démonstrateur composé de la chaîne de traitement développée et d'un prototype de caméra frontale permet, associé à une simulation de bras-support d'éclairage opératoire, d'illustrer les possibilités ouvertes par le système développé au cours de cette thèse. / Asepsis preservation in operating rooms is nowadays compulsory for avoiding the spread of hospital-acquired diseases to patients during surgeries. Drastic asepsis measures aim at preserving the sterile area of the operating room from infective agents.These measures forbid surgeons from interacting with non-sterile devices. Surgeons wish nonetheless having direct control over some of these devices.The works presented in this thesis relate to the development of a Human-Computer Interface enabling remote, hence without transmission of infective agents, non-contact control over such devices.Following on from previous authors' works in the literature, an image processing chain based on computer vision techniques and a wearable camera prototype have been developed in order to achieve these goals.This document presents the comparative studies led with algorithms issued from the literature with the aim of selecting the most suitable for using in the processing chain. A dedicated geometry-based hand descriptor is introduced, and cooperative approaches are investigated in relation with the hand localization and posture classification steps.The performance achieved by the processing chain in various situations are quantified using extensive picture and video databases acquired in conditions close to those of the operating room. Synthetic pictures created using an ad hoc virtual model of the hand are used as well for this evaluation.A demonstrator composed of the developed processing chain, a wearable camera prototype and a surgical lighting arm simulator enables the illustration of the possiblities offered by the system developed during this thesis.

The purpose of this project was to study how hand gesture control can be implemented on a vehicle that utilizes mecanum wheels in order to move in all directions. Furthermore, it was investigated how the steering of such a vehicle can be made wireless to increase mobility. A prototype vehicle consisting of four mecanum wheels was constructed. Mecanum wheels are such wheels that enable translation in all directions. By varying rotational direction of each wheel, the direction of the resulting force on the vehicle is altered, making it move in the desired direction. Hand gesture control was enabled by constructing another prototype, attached to the hand, consisting of an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and a transceiver. With the IMU, the hand’s angle against the horizontal plane can be calculated and instructions can be sent over to the vehicle by making use of the transceiver. Those instructions contain a short message that specifies in what direction the vehicle should move. The vehicle rotates the wheels in the desired direction and move thereafter. The results show that wireless hand gesture based control of an omnidirectional vehicle works without any noticeable delay in the transmission and the signals that are sent contain the correct information about moving directions. / Syftet med detta projekt var att studera hur handstyrning kan implementeras på ett fordon som utnyttjar mecanumhjul för att röra sig i alla riktningar. Vidare undersöktes också hur styrningen av sådant fordon kan genomföras trädlöst för ökad mobilitet. En prototypfarkost bestående av fyra mecanumhjul konstruerades. Mecanumhjul är sådana hjul som möjliggör translation i alla riktningar. Genom att variera rotationsriktningen på vardera motor ändras riktningen av den resulterande kraften på farkosten, vilket gör att den kan förflytta sig i önskad riktning. Handstyrning möjliggjordes genom att konstruera en till prototyp, som fästs i anslutning till handen, bestående av en IMU och en transceiver. Med IMU:n kan handens vinkel gentemot horisontalplanet beräknas och instruktioner kan skickas över till farkosten med hjälp av transceivern. Dessa instruktioner innehåller ett kort meddelande som specificerar i vilken riktning farkosten ska röra sig i. Resultaten visar på att trädlös handstyrning av en farkost fungerar utan märkbar tidsfördröjning i signalöverföring och att signalerna som skickas till farkosten innehåller korrekta instruktioner gällande rörelseriktningar.

Industrial robotic arms have transformed the manufacturing environment by providing efficient and precise automation solutions. These sophisticated machines, powered by innovative technology, are capable of performing difficult tasks with speed and accuracy. The project described here is related to industrial robotics because it focuses on the creation of a gesture-controlled robotic arm. This project aims to build a robotic arm that can be controlled by gestures utilising MPU6050 sensors and flex sensors. By interpreting gestures acquired by strategically placed sensors, the robotic arm is designed to emulate human arm movements. The MPU6050 sensors are placed on the hand, near the elbow, and near the shoulder, allowing the system to capture the arm’s orientation and movement in real time. The gripper mechanism of the robotic arm is controlled by a flex sensor on the index finger. The central control unit is the Arduino UNO Rev3 SMD microcontroller, which is in charge of analyzing sensor input and translating it into matching robotic arm movements. The suggested system intends to provide a user-friendly and intuitive method for robotic arm control, with possible applications in a variety of domains such as industrial automation, medical support, and prosthetics.

This diploma thesis exmines the negative aspects of using information and communication technologies. The main attention is fosused on virtual reality, especially 3D projection in order to decide wheather the using of it has negative impact on phycal and psychological state of the user or not, which exactly are these impacts and what probably cause them. This first part is dedicated to expain concept and history of ICT, explonation of the multidimensional princip and content of each dimension. The following is determination of which ICT areas are currently struggling in their use with negative effects. Detected list of these areas is reduced to six specific technologies which common user has opportunities to experience. These particular technologies were examined as a form of questionnaire, which resulted in a determination of the most used one, ie virtual reality. Shortly afterwards was conducted an experiment imparting undesirable effects caused by using virtual reality. The other five selected technologies are discussed for the most important negatives with which has to face today. The main finding of this study is the identification the side effects of virtual reality based on different types of technologies which are anaglyf 3D projection, passive 3D projection, active 3D projection and comparing if adverse effects depends on the type. It also includes determining the rate of uptake in virtual reality.