Biological Plausibility of Arm Postures Influences the Controllability of Robotic Arm Teleoperation

Sébastien Mick¹, Arnaud Badets¹, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer², Daniel Cattaert¹, Aymar De Rugy^{1, 3}

Abstract

Objective
We investigated how participants controlling a humanoid robotic arm’s 3D endpoint position by moving their own hand are influenced by the robot’s postures. We hypothesized that control would be facilitated (impeded) by biologically plausible (implausible) postures of the robot.

Background
Kinematic redundancy, whereby different arm postures achieve the same goal, is such that a robotic arm or prosthesis could theoretically be controlled with less signals than constitutive joints. However, congruency between a robot’s motion and our own is known to interfere with movement production. Hence, we expect the human-likeness of a robotic arm’s postures during endpoint teleoperation to influence controllability.

Method
Twenty-two able-bodied participants performed a target-reaching task with a robotic arm whose endpoint’s 3D position was controlled by moving their own hand. They completed a two-condition experiment corresponding to the robot displaying either biologically plausible or implausible postures.

Results
Upon initial practice in the experiment’s first part, endpoint trajectories were faster and shorter when the robot displayed human-like postures. However, these effects did not persist in the second part, where performance with implausible postures appeared to have benefited from initial practice with plausible ones.

Conclusion
Humanoid robotic arm endpoint control is impaired by biologically implausible joint coordinations during initial familiarization but not afterwards, suggesting that the human-likeness of a robot’s postures is more critical for control in this initial period.

Application
These findings provide insight for the design of robotic arm teleoperation and prosthesis control schemes, in order to favor better familiarization and control from their users.

Keywords : motor control, teleoperation, inverse kinematics, bio-inspired robotics, embodied cognition

Know more about