Background

Smart device-based human-robot systems provide a wide range of possibilities to enhance the flexibility and robustness of human-robot interactions. These include navigating mobile robots using a single smartwatch, automated monitoring of vital body functions through smartwatches, and the coordination of multi-robot systems. The utilization of wearable devices has demonstrated the potential to alleviate user fatigue and reduce mental workload in various robot control tasks.

However, numerous applications heavily rely on accurate gesture recognition by human users. Consequently, these systems suffer from reduced precision, despite their intuitive nature.

Invention Description

Researchers at Arizona State University have developed iRoCo, a framework for an intuitive control interface enabling machine control anytime and anywhere from a single smartwatch and smartphone. This framework optimizes precise control and unrestricted user movement from ubiquitous devices. In initial tests, iRoCo increased the speed of drone piloting tasks by 32% over traditional remote-control functions, with less reported user frustration.

Potential Applications:

• Teleoperation- process of controlling a machine or system from a distance
• Outdoor drone piloting tasks

Benefits and Advantages:

• Convenient
• Can be conducted outside without specialized infrastructure
• Faster completion times
• No specialized hardware needed
• Intuitive control through arm motions