Service robots are mobile, embodied artefacts that operate in co presence with their users. This is a challenge for human-robot interaction (HRI) design. The robot’s interfaces must support users in understanding the system’s current state and possible next actions. One aspect in the design for such interaction is to understand users’ preferences and expectations by involving them in the design process. This thesis takes a user-centered design (UCD) perspective and tries to understand the different user roles that exist in service robotics in order to consider possible design implications. Another important aim in the thesis is to understand the spatial management that occurs in face-to-face encounters between humans and robotic systems. The Cero robot is an office “fetch-and-carry” robot that supports a user in the transportation of light objects in an office environment. The iterative, user-centered design of the graphical-user interface (GUI) for the Cero robot is presented in Paper I. It is based upon the findings from multiple prototype design- and evaluation iterations. The GUI is one of the robot’s interfacing components, i.e., it is to be seen in the overall interplay of the robot’s physical design and other interface modalities developed in parallel with the GUI. As interaction strategy for the GUI, a graphical representation based upon simplification of the graphical elements as well as hiding the robot system’s complexity in sensing and mission execution is recommended. The usage of the Cero robot by a motion-impaired user over a period of three months is presented in Paper II. This longitudinal user study aims to gain insights into the daily usage of such an assistive robot. This approach is complementary to the described GUI design and development process as it allows empirically investigating situated use of the Cero robot as novel service application over a longer period of time with the provided interfaces. Findings from this trial show that the robot and its interfaces provide a benefit to the user in the transport of light objects, but also implies increased independence. The long-term study also reveals further aspects of the Cero robot system usage as part of a workplace setting, including the social context that such a mobile, embodied system needs to be designed for. During the long-term user study, bystanders in the operation area of the Cero robot were observed in their attempt to interact with it. To understand better how such bystander users may shape the interaction with a service robot system, an experimental study investigates this special type and role of robot users in Paper III. A scenario in which the Cero robot addresses and asks invited trial subjects for a cup of coffee is described. The findings show that the level of occupation significantly influences bystander users’ willingness to assist the Cero robot with its request. The joint handling of space is an important part of HRI, as both users and service robots are mobile and often co-present during interaction. To inform the development of future robot locomotion behaviors and interaction design strategies, a Wizard-of Oz (WOZ) study is presented in Paper IV that explores the role of posture and positioning in HRI. The interpersonal distances and spatial formations that were observed during this trial are quantified and analyzed in a joint interaction task between a robot and its users in Paper V. Findings show that a face-to-face spatial formation and a distance between ~46 to ~122 cm is dominant while initiating a robot mission or instructing it about an object or place. Paper VI investigates another aspect on the role of spatial management in the joint task between a robot and its user based upon the study described in Papers IV and V. Taking the dynamics of interaction into account, the findings are that users structure their activities with the robot and that this organizing is observable as small movements in interaction. These small adaptations in posture and orientation signify the transition between different episodes of interaction and prepare for the next interaction exchange in the shared space. The understanding of these spatial management behaviors allow designing human-robot interaction based upon such awareness and active handling of space as a structuring interaction element. / QC 20100617

This thesis treats the subject of applying human motion models to create estimators for the input signals of human operators controlling a telerobotic system.In telerobotic systems, the control signal input by the operator is often treated as a known quantity. However, there are instances where this is not the case. For example, a well-studied problem is teleoperation under time delay, where the robot at the remote site does not have access to current operator input due to time delays in the communication channel. Another is where the hardware sensors in the input device have low accuracy. Both these cases are studied in this thesis. A solution to these types of problems is to apply an estimator to the input signal. There exist several models that describe human hand motion, and these can be used to create a model-based estimator. In the present work, we propose the use of the minimum jerk (MJ) model. This choice of model is based mainly on the simplicity of the MJ model, which can be described as a fifth degree polynomial in the cartesian space of the position of the subject's hand. Estimators incorporating the MJ model are implemented and inserted into control systems for a teleoperatedrobot arm. We perform experiments where we show that these estimators can be used for predictors increasing task performance in the presence of time delays. We also show how similar estimators can be used to implement direct position control using a handheld device equipped only with accelerometers. / QC 20100810

We study vertical jumping in a simple robot comprising an actuated mass spring arrangement. The actuator frequency and phase are systematically varied to find optimal performance. Optimal jumps occur above and below (but not at) the robot's resonant frequency f0. Two distinct jumping modes emerge: a simple jump which is optimal above f0 is achievable with a squat maneuver, and a peculiar stutter jump which is optimal below f0 is generated with a countermovement. A simple dynamical model reveals how optimal lift-off results from non-resonant transient dynamics.

Undersökningar och beräkningar av en rengöringsprocess med ibc-containers vid Allemballage har gjorts. En automatiserad lösning har tagits fram där vissa delar har tillhandahållits i förväg som rengöringsverktyg. Uppgiften blev att studera om verktyget klarade av de räckvidder som var avgörande samt att fastsälla om den robot som kunden ville använda sig av kunde utföra uppgiften genom att ta reda på vilket moment som uppstod för att sedan ta fram en simulering av processen i RS. Räckvidden undersöktes dels i RS men även ett presentationsunderlag togs fram. Momentet undersöktes dels praktiskt där man fastställde de krafter som verkade och teoretiskt där man sedan beräknade momentet. Det sista som gjordes var en simulering på hur processen kan se ut då en IRB4600-robot ifrån Abb och rengöringsverktyg utförde en rekonditionering av en IBC. Resultaten har visat att momentet i kortare stunder överstiger det krav som ställs på önskad robot men att verktyget klarar de räckvidder som ställs. Räckvidden och momentet har visat sig vara beroende av varandra då en minskning av räckvidden leder till ett mindre moment, vise versa. Med de undersökningar som gjorts och det resultat som tagits fram är rekommendationen i dagsläget att man bör lägga en beställning på det aktuella rengöringsverktyget. Vidare så anses robot IRB4600 kunna utföra uppgiften som tänkt, mindre justeringar bör då göras vid de ställen som visat sig utgöra det största momentet vid rengöring.

The recent advent of consumer grade Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) provides a new revolutionary and accessible way to control computers. BCI translate cognitive electroencephalography (EEG) signals into computer or robotic commands using specially built headsets. Capable of enhancing traditional interfaces that require interaction with a keyboard, mouse or touchscreen, BCI systems present tremendous opportunities to benefit various fields. Movement restricted users can especially benefit from these interfaces. In this thesis, we present a new way to interface a consumer-grade BCI solution to a mobile robot. A Red-Green-Blue-Depth (RGBD) camera is used to enhance the navigation of the robot with cognitive thoughts as commands. We introduce an interface presenting 3 different methods of robot-control: 1) a fully manual mode, where a cognitive signal is interpreted as a command, 2) a control-flow manual mode, reducing the likelihood of false-positive commands and 3) an automatic mode assisted by a remote RGBD camera. We study the application of this work by navigating the mobile robot on a planar surface using the different control methods while measuring the accuracy and usability of the system. Finally, we assess the newly designed interface’s role in the design of future generation of BCI solutions.

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Henri est une installation interactive organisée comme un parcours. À son arrivée sur les lieux, le participant rencontre premièrement l'assistant d'Henri. Il lui propose de faire une courte entrevue sur ses souvenirs d'enfance. Ensuite, le participant rencontre Henri, un petit robot, malade et affaibli. Installation interactive ludique, Henri se veut une réflexion commune sur le souvenir. Espace de discussion, de recueillement, le projet a pour but de créer un outil propice à la rencontre entre le créateur, le participant et la machine. La relation entre les trois acteurs est le point central de l'expérience. Sur le plan technique, Henri explore la possibilité d'expérimenter le potentiel de la marionnette comme média d'expression, au moyen de la programmation et de la robotique. Ce projet fait aussi la recherche d'un processus interactif qui permet l'improvisation, qui s'impose l'apport du participant, jusqu'à se grandir à travers lui. Bien que délimité par des aspects technologiques tels que la robotique et la synthèse sonore, ce mémoire-création reste profondément ancré dans une perspective de recherche ouverte sur l'homme, son comportement et sa sensibilité. L'expérience se veut sociale, intrigante et intime. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Art interactif, Installation, Interactivité, Jeu, Marionnette, Participatif, Robotique.

Mobile robotics research is currently interested on exporting autonomous navigation results achieved in indoor environments, to more challenging environments, such as, for instance, urban pedestrian areas. Developing mobile robots with autonomous navigation capabilities in such urban environments supposes a basic requirement for a upperlevel service set that could be provided to an users community. However, exporting indoor techniques to outdoor urban pedestrian scenarios is not evident due to the larger size of the environment, the dynamism of the scene due to pedestrians and other moving obstacles, the sunlight conditions, and the high presence of three dimensional elements such as ramps, steps, curbs or holes. Moreover, GPS-based mobile robot localization has demonstrated insufficient performance for robust long-term navigation in urban environments. One of the key modules within autonomous navigation is localization. If localization supposes an a priori map, even if it is not a complete model of the environment, localization is called map-based. This assumption is realistic since current trends of city councils are on building precise maps of their cities, specially of the most interesting places such as city downtowns. Having robots localized within a map allows for a high-level planning and monitoring, so that robots can achieve goal points expressed on the map, by following in a deliberative way a previously planned route. This thesis deals with the mobile robot map-based localization issue in urban pedestrian areas. The thesis approach uses the particle filter algorithm, a well-known and widely used probabilistic and recursive method for data fusion and state estimation. The main contributions of the thesis are divided on four aspects: (1) long-term experiments of mobile robot 2D and 3D position tracking in real urban pedestrian scenarios within a full autonomous navigation framework, (2) developing a fast and accurate technique to compute on-line range observation models in 3D environments, a basic step required by the real-time performance of the developed particle filter, (3) formulation of a particle filter that integrates asynchronous data streams and (4) a theoretical proposal to solve the global localization problem in an active and cooperative way, defining cooperation as either information sharing among the robots or planning joint actions to solve a common goal. / Actualment, la recerca en robòtica mòbil té un interés creixent en exportar els resultats de navegació autònoma aconseguits en entorns interiors cap a d'altres tipus d'entorns més exigents, com, per exemple, les àrees urbanes peatonals. Desenvolupar capacitats de navegació autònoma en aquests entorns urbans és un requisit bàsic per poder proporcionar un conjunt de serveis de més alt nivell a una comunitat d'usuaris. Malgrat tot, exportar les tècniques d'interiors cap a entorns exteriors peatonals no és evident, a causa de la major dimensió de l'entorn, del dinamisme de l'escena provocada pels peatons i per altres obstacles en moviment, de la resposta de certs sensors a la il.luminació natural, i de la constant presència d'elements tridimensionals tals com rampes, escales, voreres o forats. D'altra banda, la localització de robots mòbils basada en GPS ha demostrat uns resultats insuficients de cara a una navegació robusta i de llarga durada en entorns urbans. Una de les peces clau en la navegació autònoma és la localització. En el cas que la localització consideri un mapa conegut a priori, encara que no sigui un model complet de l'entorn, parlem d'una localització basada en un mapa. Aquesta assumpció és realista ja que la tendència actual de les administracions locals és de construir mapes precisos de les ciutats, especialment dels llocs d'interés tals com les zones més cèntriques. El fet de tenir els robots localitzats en un mapa permet una planificació i una monitorització d'alt nivell, i així els robots poden arribar a destinacions indicades sobre el mapa, tot seguint de forma deliberativa una ruta prèviament planificada. Aquesta tesi tracta el tema de la localització de robots mòbils, basada en un mapa i per entorns urbans peatonals. La proposta de la tesi utilitza el filtre de partícules, un mètode probabilístic i recursiu, ben conegut i àmpliament utilitzat per la fusió de dades i l'estimació d'estats. Les principals contribucions de la tesi queden dividides en quatre aspectes: (1) experimentació de llarga durada del seguiment de la posició, tant en 2D com en 3D, d'un robot mòbil en entorns urbans reals, en el context de la navegació autònoma, (2) desenvolupament d'una tècnica ràpida i precisa per calcular en temps d'execució els models d'observació de distàncies en entorns 3D, un requisit bàsic pel rendiment del filtre de partícules a temps real, (3) formulació d'un filtre de partícules que integra conjunts de dades asíncrones i (4) proposta teòrica per solucionar la localització global d'una manera activa i cooperativa, entenent la cooperació com el fet de compartir informació, o bé com el de planificar accions conjuntes per solucionar un objectiu comú.

Steerable catheters are routinely deployed in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. During invasive electrophysiology studies, the catheter handle is manipulated by an interventionalist to guide the catheter's distal section toward endocardium for pacing and ablation. Catheter manipulation requires dexterity and experience, and exposes the interventionalist to ionizing radiation. Through the course of this research, a platform was developed to assist and enhance the navigation of the catheter inside the cardiac chambers. This robotic platform replaces the interventionalist's hand in catheter manipulation and provides the option to force the catheter tip in arbitrary directions using a 3D input device or to automatically navigate the catheter to desired positions within a cardiac chamber by commanding the software to do so. To accomplish catheter navigation, the catheter was modeled as a continuum manipulator, and utilizing robot kinematics, catheter tip position control was designed and implemented. An electromagnetic tracking system was utilized to measure the position and orientation of two key points in catheter model, for position feedback to the control system. A software platform was developed to implement the navigation and control strategies and to interface with the robot, the 3D input device and the tracking system. The catheter modeling was validated through in-vitro experiments with a static phantom, and in-vivo experiments on three live swines. The feasibility of automatic navigation was also veri ed by navigating to three landmarks in the beating heart of swine subjects, and comparing their performance with that of an experienced interventionalist using quasi biplane fluoroscopy. The platform realizes automatic, assisted, and motorized navigation under the interventionalist's control, thus reducing the dependence of successful navigation on the dexterity and manipulation skills of the interventionalist, and providing a means to reduce the exposure to X-ray radiation. Upon further development, the platform could be adopted for human deployment.