Obstacle recognition using a haptic device

A haptic device is proposed which gives the user feedback information on their location and orientation of the obstacle through the mobile robot that detects the obstacle in an environment where the user cannot see.Mobile robot recognizes the exact position of the obstacle through configuring the nested ultrasonic sensor and giving feedback information to the haptic device.The haptic device consisting of five vibration motors can realize the haptic through the vibration of user's finger using the position information of the obstacle received feedback.In addition,it has high accuracy to recognize the surrounding environment and realizes the various situations with the fuzzy controller and the nested ultrasonic sensors.

Robotic ultrasound:An initial feasibility study

BACKGROUND Performing ultrasound during the current pandemic time is quite challenging.To reduce the chances of cross-infection and keep healthcare workers safe,a robotic ultrasound system was developed,which can be controlled remotely.It will also pave way for broadening the reach of ultrasound in remote distant rural areas as well.AIM To assess the feasibility of a robotic system in performing abdominal ultrasound and compare it with the conventional ultrasound system.METHODS A total of 21 healthy volunteers were recruited.Ultrasound was performed in two settings,using the robotic arm and conventional hand-held procedure.Images acquired were analyzed by separate radiologists.RESULTS Our study showed that the robotic arm model was feasible,and the results varied based on the organ imaged.The liver images showed no significant difference.For other organs,the need for repeat imaging was higher in the robotic arm,which could be attributed to the radiologist’s learning curve and ability to control the haptic device.The doctor and volunteer surveys also showed significant comfort with acceptance of the technology and they expressed their desire to use it in the future.CONCLUSIONThis study shows that robotic ultrasound is feasible and is the need of the hour during thepandemic.

Robot Position Control Using Force Information for Cooperative Work in Remote Robot Systems with Force Feedback

This paper proposes robot position control using force information for cooperative work between two remote robot systems with force feedback in each of which a user operates a remote robot by using a haptic interface device while observing work of the robot with a video camera. We also investigate the effect of the proposed control by experiment. As cooperative work, we deal with work in which two robots carry an object together. The robot position control using force information finely adjusts the position of the robot arm to reduce the force applied to the object. Thus, the purpose of the control is to avoid large force so that the object is not broken. In our experiment, we make a comparison among the following three cases in order to clarify how to carry out the control effectively. In the first case, the two robots are operated manually by a user with his/her both hands. In the second case, one robot is operated manually by a user, and the other robot is moved automatically under the proposed control. In the last case, the object is carried directly by a human instead of the robot which is operated by the user in the second case. As a result, experimental results demonstrate that the control can help each system operated manually by the user to carry the object smoothly.