A Study of Viewpoint and Feedback in Wearable Systems for Controlling a Robot Arm

This study examines the feasibility of an integrated motion and vibrotactile system for controlling a humanoid robotic arm using natural and intuitive movements rather than a complicated control schema. We examine a head-mounted display integrated into a system of arm-based motion sensors that control a humanoid robotic arm to determine if there is an observable difference between third-person and first-person perspective in the control of the robot arm. We look at vibration as a form of haptic feedback to relay the limitations of the robot arm back to the user. An experiment shows 30 participants were able to complete both gross and fine motor control tasks without fail indicating that this type of sensor based control systems is intuitive and easy to use. The majority of participants found the method of control to be intuitive, the inclusion of first-person perspective to be beneficial, and the vibration feedback to be either inconsequential or confusing.