Abstract

This work represents an examination of various facets of physical human-robot collaborative manipulation and the implementation of compliant, soft-robotic manipulators. A survey of physical human-human interaction and haptic communication is presented, alongside an investigation into the decomposition of force and torque components that enable effective human-robot collaboration. To address the inconsistent terminology found in previous literature, a standardized framework for force decomposition is proposed. A new taxonomy is introduced to categorize the force components involved in collaborative manipulation tasks. This taxonomy clarifies the role of each component in an agent's applied force during task execution and provides a structured framework to guide future research in haptic communication and collaborative tasks. A novel robot platform is presented which combines a soft, three-link, bellows-chamber actuated manipulator with a mobile base. The role of soft-robotic compliance is explored as a means of implementing a co-manipulation controller without the need for active control methods such as impedance or admittance compliance control. Under this concept, a displacement-based controller is introduced and the impact of the spatial reference point from which displacement is measured for control is examined. A study was conducted as an initial benchmark for co-manipulating large, extended objects of significant weight with soft, compliant robots. Nineteen participants worked individually with the robot to move an 11 kg stretcher-like object, equipped with force/torque sensing handles, through various translational tasks. Motion data was collected using HTC VIVE motion trackers, while survey responses assessing participants' perspectives, preferences, and workload experiences were gathered before, during, and after the study. The results are analyzed and compared to previous human-human co-manipulation studies, with a particular focus on evaluating the effect of varying reference points on task performance and human preference.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2025-04-16

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13563

Keywords

physical human-robot interaction, co-manipulation, soft robots, force decomposition, displacement control

Language

english

Download

Included in

Engineering Commons

Share

COinS