An Augmented Reality Interface for Human Robot Collaboration

What is it about?

Recent advances in Augmented Reality (AR) technology have enable the development of more intuitive user interfaces for many human-robot interaction applications. However, existing AR systems for robotics have been largely limited to robot teleoperation and programming. We have developed a novel wearable augmented reality system for human-robot teams working on tasks requiring collaboration in shared physical workspace. We tested our system in a user study with a task mimicking a manufacturing scenario, and results showed that our system reduces physical demand and task completion time, while increasing the user's willingness to utilize the technology.

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Photo by Billetto Editorial on Unsplash

Photo by Billetto Editorial on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It is envisioned that humans will be working with robots in teams in the next generation factories. Our user study demonstrates that even though when a robotic technology provides benefits to the user, if the interface design is not adequate, they may choose to not use the technology. Based on our study findings, we provide a list of recommendations towards implementation of AR interfaces for human-robot teams.