Ce travail propose de nouvelles structures de contrôle pour la téléopération bilatérale à travers des réseaux de communication non dédiés. L’enjeu est donc de concevoir et calculer des structures de commande garantissant la stabilisation et un bon degré de performance en termes de synchronisation (suivi des positions et vitesse) et de transparence (ressenti des forces) sous les retards variables et asymétriques.Nous faisons tout d’abord un tour d’horizon des recherches récentes dans le domaine des systèmes de téléopération et de leurs caractéristiques. Puis, nous considérons des modèles linéaires à plusieurs retards variables pour lesquels nous proposons une approche d’analyse de stabilité par fonctionnelles de Lyapunov-Krasovskii et contrôle robuste H [infinity symbol . Ensuite, trois structures de téléopération seront proposées en temps continu, la comparaison de ces architectures montre que, pour un retard de réseau maximum donné ou calculé, toutes garantissent un suivi de position et vitesse. Les deux dernières, qui utilisent les forces mesurées ou estimées de l’opérateur humain et de l’environnement, garantissent de plus un suivi en force. Au final, la troisième structure (avec proxy) présente la meilleure performance, même si elle demande un peu plus de calcul. Puis, afin d’analyser et d’améliorer les performances de la troisième structure pour des modèles encore plus réalistes, une étude est menée en temps discret, mais aussi sur un modèle non linéaire ou non stationnaire sous perturbations bornées en norme. L’implantation sur la plate-forme est décrite dans un quatrième et dernier chapitre, et puis l’analyse des résultats expérimentaux est alors menée / This PhD thesis is dedicated to the control scheme design of the bilateral teleoperation under asymmetric communication channels: the stabilization and a high-level performance under asymmetric time-varying delays and the perturbations of the human operator and environment. After a review of the recent researches and their features in the field of teleoperation system, a less conservative Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional together with H [infinity symbol] control theory has been applied to linear time delay systems, and then the LMI theorems have been obtained in order to calculate the controllers in the control schemes.Firstly, three novel teleoperation control schemes have been presented. Comparing three architectures, all of them guaranteed the stability and the position tracking thanks to the position/velocity information. Force-reflecting control scheme without or with proxy, in addition, ensured the force tracking by using the estimated/measured force of the human operator and the environment. Here, the control scheme with the proxy got a better performance. Secondly, a discrete-time approach has been developed to analyze the force-reflecting control scheme with proxy and obtain a better system performance. Besides, more general systems with time-varying uncertainties (the polytopic-type uncertainties and the norm-bounded model uncertainties) have been considered. Finally, the experimental test-bench and the real system implementation have been designed, which involved the identification and linearizing control of the subsystems (the master/slave robots). The experimental results have illustrated the effectiveness of the approaches proposed in this thesis

Teleoperation systems have been used in the operating rooms for more than a decade. However, the lack of force feedback in commercially available systems still raises safety issues and forbids surgical gestures like palpation. Although force feedback has already been implemented in experimental setups, a systematic methodology is still lacking to design the control laws.<p><p>The approach developed in this thesis is a contribution towards such a systematic<p>methodology: it combines the use of disturbance observers with the use of a structured fixed-order controller. This approach is validated by experiments performed on a one degree of freedom teleoperation system. A physical model of this system is proposed and validated experimentally.<p><p>Disturbance observers allow to compensate friction, which is responsible for performance degradation in teleoperation. Contrary to alternative approaches,they are based on a model of the frictionless mechanical system. This allows to compensate friction with a time varying behavior, which occurs in laparoscopy.<p><p>Parametric uncertainties in this model may lead to an unstable closed-loop. A kind of "separation principle" is provided to decouple the design of the closed-loop system from the design of the observer. It relies on a modified problem statement and on the use of available robust design and analysis tools.<p><p>A new metric is proposed to evaluate the performance of friction compensation systems experimentally. This metric evaluates the ability of a compensation system to linearize a motion system, irrespective of the task and as a function of frequency. The observer-based friction compensation is evaluated with respect to this new metric and to a task-based metric. It correctly attenuates the friction in the bandwidth of interest and significantly improves position and force tracking during a palpation task.<p><p>Structured fixed-order controllers are optimized numerically to achieve robust closed-loop performance despite modeling uncertainty. The structure is chosen among classical teleoperation structures. An efficient algorithm is selected and implemented to design such a controller, which is evaluated for a palpation task. It is compared to a full-order unstructured controller, representative of the design approach that has been used in the teleoperation literature up to now. The comparison highlights the advantages of our new approach: order-reduction steps and counter-intuitive behaviors are avoided. <p><p>A structured fixed-order controller combined with a disturbance observer is implemented during a needle insertion experiment and allowed to obtain excellent performance. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The aim of the thesis is to design, create and evaluate a user interface for control of service robot. I will focus on controlling of robotic arm, to be able to accomplish pick and place tasks. Specifically I will work with robotic platform PR2. The thesis describes different devices for sensing and perception of a user and usage of information from these devices to control robotic arm. Moreover, different methods for controlling of robotic arm are described there. Application design and implementation is presented further in this thesis together with description of the experiments used for evaluation of application.

This work is to investigate the performance of two Kalman Filter Algorithms, namely Linear Kalman Filter and Extended Kalman Filter on control-based human motion prediction in a real-time teleoperation. The Kalman Filter Algorithm has been widely used in research areas of motion tracking and GPS-navigation. However, the potential of human motion prediction by utilizing this algorithm is rarely being mentioned. Combine with the known issue - the delay issue in today’s teleoperation services, the author decided to build a prototype of simple teleoperation model based on the Kalman Filter Algorithm with the aim of eliminated the unsynchronization between the user’s inputs and the visual frames, where all the data were transferred over the network. In the first part of the thesis, two types of Kalman Filter Algorithm are applied on the prototype to predict the movement of the robotic arm based on the user’s motion applied on a Haptic Device. The comparisons in performance among the Kalman Filters have also been focused. In the second part, the thesis focuses on optimizing the motion prediction which based on the results of Kalman filtering by using the smoothing algorithm. The last part of the thesis examines the limitation of the prototype, such as how much the delays are accepted and how fast the movement speed of the Phantom Haptic can be, to still be able to obtain reasonable predations with acceptable error rate.   The results show that the Extended Kalman Filter has achieved more advantages in motion prediction than the Linear Kalman Filter during the experiments. The unsynchronization issue has been effectively improved by applying the Kalman Filter Algorithm on both state and measurement models when the latency is set to below 200 milliseconds. The additional smoothing algorithm further increases the accuracy. More important, it also solves shaking issue on the visual frames on robotic arm which is caused by the wavy property of the Kalman Filter Algorithm. Furthermore, the optimization method effectively synchronizes the timing when robotic arm touches the interactable object in the prediction.   The method which is utilized in this research can be a good reference for the future researches in control-based human motion tracking and prediction. / Detta arbete fokuserar på att undersöka prestandan hos två Kalman Filter Algoritmer, nämligen Linear Kalman Filter och Extended Kalman Filter som används i realtids uppskattningar av kontrollbaserad mänsklig rörelse i teleoperationen. Dessa Kalman Filter Algoritmer har används i stor utsträckning forskningsområden i rörelsespårning och GPS-navigering. Emellertid är potentialen i uppskattning av mänsklig rörelse genom att utnyttja denna algoritm sällan nämnas. Genom att kombinera med det kända problemet – fördröjningsproblem i dagens teleoperation tjänster beslutar författaren att bygga en prototyp av en enkel teleoperation modell vilket är baserad på Kalman Filter algoritmen i syftet att eliminera icke-synkronisering mellan användarens inmatningssignaler och visuella information, där alla data överfördes via nätverket. I den första delen av avhandlingen appliceras både Kalman Filter Algoritmer på prototypen för att uppskatta rörelsen av robotarmen baserat på användarens rörelse som anbringas på en haptik enhet. Jämförelserna i prestandan bland de Kalman Filter Algoritmerna har också fokuserats. I den andra delen fokuserar avhandlingen på att optimera uppskattningar av rörelsen som baserat på resultaten av Kalman-filtrering med hjälp av en utjämningsalgoritm. Den sista delen av avhandlingen undersökes begräsning av prototypen, som till exempel hur mycket fördröjningar accepteras och hur snabbt den haptik enheten kan vara, för att kunna erhålla skäliga uppskattningar med acceptabel felfrekvens.   Resultaten visar att den Extended Kalman Filter har bättre prestandan i rörelse uppskattningarna än den Linear Kalman Filter under experimenten. Det icke-synkroniseringsproblemet har förbättrats genom att tillämpa de Kalman Filter Algoritmerna på både statliga och värderingsmodeller när latensen är inställd på under 200 millisekunder. Den extra utjämningsalgoritmen ökar ytterligare noggrannheten. Denna algoritm löser också det skakande problem hos de visuella bilder på robotarmen som orsakas av den vågiga egenskapen hos Kalman Filter Algoritmen. Dessutom effektivt synkroniserar den optimeringsmetoden tidpunkten när robotarmen berör objekten i uppskattningarna.   Den metod som används i denna forskning kan vara en god referens för framtida undersökningar i kontrollbaserad rörelse- spåning och uppskattning.

The study aimed to identify and analyse methods for establishing external communication between humans and autonomous/teleoperated machines/vehicles using various Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs). The study was divided into three phases. The purpose of the first phase was to identify and highlight previously tested/researched methods for establishing external communication by conducting a literature review. The findings from the literature review were categorised into six points of interest: machine indications, test delivery methods, HMI technologies/types, symbols, textual/numerical messages, and colours associated with different indications. Based on these findings, four HMIs (projection, display, LED-strip, and auditory) were selected for evaluation in a virtual reality environment for the second phase of the study, which has the purpose of identifying which of the human-machine interfaces can effectively communicate the intentions of autonomous/teleoperated machines to humans. The results of phase two indicate that the participants preferred projection as the most effective individual HMI, and when given the option to combine two HMIs, projection combined with auditory was the most preferred combination. The participants were also asked to pick three HMIs of their choosing, resulting in the projection, display and audible HMI combination being the preferred option. The evaluation of HMIs in a virtual reality environment contributes to improving dependability and identifying usability issues.  The objective of the third and final phase was to gather all the findings from the previous phases and subsequently refine the report until it was considered finalised. Future work includes enhancing the realism of the VR environment, refining machine behaviour and scenarios, enabling multiple participants to simultaneously interact with the environment, and exploring alternative evaluation methods. Addressing these areas will lead to more realistic evaluations and advancements in human-machine interaction research.

<div>The coming of the Internet of things (IoT) has enabled manufacturers, teachers, machine operators, makers, and researchers to design and use new workflows, fabricate parts efficiently and effectively, and interact with systems and devices in ways that were not possible before.</div><div>These networked systems have changed the way in which input is received from and data is outputted to humans. Context-awareness and autonomy are characteristics of these devices that result in automated processes, faster production times, and more intuitive interfaces. Direct manipulation is an intuitive and natural human-computer interaction (HCI) that enables its users an easy and fast learning.</div><div>In this thesis, an Internet of things architecture is designed and implemented to enable control and data visualization in machines and devices through immersive interfaces using direct manipulation. The proposed architecture and interfaces are tested and validated approaching three different categories of systems; namely, systems that need to be modified to be IoT ready, systems that are IoT ready, and systems that have not yet been constructed. For the latter case, a custom system has been made to evaluate and test the whole architecture and its implementation. The knowledge acquired in developing this architecture and the design rationale behind the development of immersive interfaces, are summarized and presented as a series of guidelines and recommendations for IoT systems manufacturers to follow to include immersive interfaces in their designs.</div>

This thesis work has been the result of a five-year Industrial Design Engineering education at Luleå University of Technology. The project has investigated the possibilities of teleoperating forest machines using a human-centered design approach. The work has been conducted for Skogforsk, which is the Swedish institute for forestry. The project’s objective was to present ideas on how future teleoperation can improve the work as a forwarder operator. The aim was to identify the forwarder operators’ specific needs and explore how the development of a teleoperated workstation can address those needs. The project has been carried out using three phases; Inspiration, Ideation, and Impleentation. During the first phase, the project investigated how the work is carried out today and what needs a forwarder operator has. The operators’ needs can be summarised in three different areas; transporting the machine, loading and unloading, and planning. Two kinds of operators can be seen today, the ones who are motivated primarily by working in the forest, and the ones who are motivated by the production and self-competitiveness. During the Inspiration phase, the project also tested what problems exist today with operating a forwarder using teleoperation with the system implemented in the Truedsson Forestry Lab in Uppsala. It was identified that screens are an essential complement to using head-mounted displays such as VR-goggles while not offering the same amount of precision and presence in work as the goggles. It was also identified that the operators did not feel that the machine being an extension of them due to lost feedback of motion and sound. Perceived and actual control of the machine differed, and the operators did not identify the machines’ behavior during transportation. Apart from these issues, the current view did not offer a complete overview of the area around the machine. Neither did it offer visuals on the sides of the machine, and the logs sortings. Along with the identified issues, opportunities for improvement guided the explorational work through creative workshops to solutions presented and tested in either an operational test or in a video test. The ideas included the implementation of sound focusing on the gripper, which was appreciated by the operators. The precision using screens was improved by projecting the gripper’s position on the ground plane. For control of the transportation work, the project proposed solutions for indicators on tilt, roll, and the wheels of the machine. Nevertheless, it proposed an idea of projected tracks improving the work to become more proactive by highlighting obstacles and the near term position of the machine. The project also tested overview improving ideas such as drone views, and a 360 degrees view which may have potential in the future teleoperation work. Several other ideas were tested and can be seen in the Results chapter. For future work, the project proposes more tests of various ideas in a more reality-based setting. The project also proposes future work focusing on defining the future user better. For the individual operators reading this thesis work, I hope this paper can show the potentials of teleoperation, as well as prove that the development is aware of both the difficulties and the possibilities with teleoperating forest machines. For the forestry industry, I hope this paper can inspire future work to use the technology to favor the operators’ needs, and not only adapt the current cabin to work being carried out remotely. It is important to note that work in the cabin and work carried out remotely will have a significant difference in what advantages to offer. We will most definitely see operators working in the forest for many years ahead, and the future operators of teleoperation will probably not be the ones that are motivated by work in the forest today. This means that a new kind of user will emerge supplementing the current users rather than replacing them. / Detta examensarbete är resultatet av en femårig civilingenjörsutbildning inom Teknisk Design på Luleå Tekniska Universitet. Projektet har utforskat möjligheter för fjärrstyrning av skogsmaskiner genom en användarcentrerad designprocess indelad i tre faser; Inspiration, Ideation, och Implementation. Arbetet har genomförts på uppdrag av Skogforsk som är det svenska forskningsinstitutet för utveckling av det svenska skogsbruket. Målet med projektet har varit att presentera idéer kring hur framtidens fjärrsyrning kan förbättra arbetet som skotarförare. Syftet med projektet har varit att identifiera skotarförarens behov och utforska hur utvecklingen av fjärrstyrning kan ta hänsyn till dessa behov. Under den första fasen undersöktes arbetet som det ser ut idag och skotarförarens behov fastställdes genom intervjuer och observationer. Behoven kan sammanfattas till tre huvudsakliga delar; transport av maskin, av och pålastning, samt planering av arbete. I dagsläget kan två olika användare ses, de vars största motivation är arbetet i skogen, och de som motiveras främst av hög produktion och egenutveckling. Under första fasen så undersöktes problem med fjärrstyrning genom test med en fjärrstyrd skotare i Truedsson Forestry Lab i Uppsala. Det identifierades att skärmar är ett nödvändigt komplement till VR-glasögon trots att de idag inte erbjuder samma precision och närhetskänsla. Det identifierades också att förare uppgav att de inte fick samma koppling till maskinen som ljud och vibrationer annars erbjuder i hytten. Uppfattad och verklig kontroll över maskinen skiftade mellan styrning i maskin, och på distans. Förarna uppmärksammade inte slirning, glid, eller lutningsförändringar vid fjärrstyrning. Förutom dessa problem så erbjöd det befintliga systemet inte kontinuerlig överblick runt om maskinen. Lastens uppbyggnad saknades och inte heller visuell blick av området nedanför lastutrymmet kunde erhållas. Med utgångspunkt ur identifierade problem med fjärrstyrning och möjligheter för utveckling av dagens arbete, utforskades idéer genom kreativa workshops under andra fasen. Under tredje fasen valdes idéer ut, utvecklades, och testades genom antingen ett fysiskt operatörstest, eller ett videotest. En av idéerna testade implementering av ljud med fokus på gripen vilket uppskattades av alla testförare. Skärmarnas precision förbättrades genom projicering av gripens position på horisontella ytor. För att förbättra kontroll av maskin utforskade projektet implementering av olika indikatorer kring lutning och hjulbeteende. En idé kring projicerande hjulspår med fokus på proaktivt uppmärksammande av maskinens position och potentiella hinder, utforskades i syfte att förbättra arbetet. Projektet undersökte även diverse vyer för överblick, som drönarvyer, och en 360 graders vy som kan ha potential för framtida fjärrstyrningsarbete. Andra idéer som testades kan ses i Resultat kapitlet. För framtida arbete rekommenderas fler, och mer verklighetsbaserade tester. Det rekommenderas även att framtidens användare definieras bättre för att styra utvecklingen i rätt riktning. För den individuella föraren som läser detta arbete hoppas jag denna examensrapport kan visa på potential för framtida fjärrstyrningsarbete. Jag hoppas även att rapporten kan visa på att utvecklingen är medveten om såväl svårigheter som möjligheter. För skogsindustrin hoppas jag denna rapport kan inspirera framtida arbete att fokusera på fördelar med fjärrstyrningstekniken med utgångspunkt i förarnas behov, och inte bara anpassa dagens arbete i hytten att ske på distans. Det är viktigt att märka på att arbete på distans och i hytten kommer erbjuda olika fördelar. Vi kommer antagligen se förare i skogen i många år framöver och det är troligt att framtidens operatörer inte är de som motiveras av arbete i skogen. Det innebär att en ny typ av användare kommer växa fram som kommer komplettera dagens förare snarare än att byta ut dem.

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The fast technology development for military unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) has led to a considerable demand to explore the soldier’s role in an interactive UGV system. This thesis explores how to design interactive systems for UGVs for infantry soldiers in the Swedish Armed Force. This was done through a user-centered design approach in three steps; (1) identifying the design drivers of the targeted military context through qualitative observations and user interviews, (2) using the design drivers to investigate concepts for controlling the UGV, and (3) create and evaluate a prototype of an interactive UGV system design. Results from interviews indicated that design drivers depend on the physical and psychological context of the intended soldiers. In addition, exploring the different concepts showed that early conceptual designs helped the user express their needs of a non-existing system. Furthermore, the results indicate that an interactive UGV system does not necessarily need to be at the highest level of autonomy in order to be useful for the soldiers on the field. The final prototype of an interactive UGV system was evaluated using a demonstration video, a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and semi-structured user interviews. Results from this evaluation suggested that the soldiers see the potential usefulness of an interactive UGV system but are not entirely convinced. In conclusion, this thesis argues that in order to design an interactive UGV system, the most critical aspect is the soldiers’ acceptance of the new system. Moreover, for soldiers to accept the concept of military UGVs, it is necessary to understand the context of use and the needs of the soldiers. This is done by involving the soldiers already in the conceptual design process and then throughout the development phases.