Development of multimodal sensing system and interactive potential field technique for safe and natural robot teaching

Abstract

In human-robot interaction, remote work teaching methods such as teleoperation that minimize collision or contact have been preferred since safety must be ensured before interaction. On the other hand, as delicate and diverse roles of robots become important, direct teaching methods through physical contact have become a critical function. These task teaching methods have been studied separately depending on the situation in existing studies. However, it is necessary to integrate the two teaching methods to teach movements that can interact with external contacts while adapting to complex and changing environments. In this study, a robot system capable of both remote and direct teaching was developed. Furthermore, an interactive potential field technique was developed to prevent unintended collisions but allow intentional contacts. Through this, it was possible to change the teaching method naturally according to the situation and the operator’s intention, and it was possible to reproduce the movement according to the unknown changes in the workspace.