AR Task Guidance for Safe Human-Robot Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
End users and robotic systems often collaborate on tasks without clear visualization of robotic movement steps, leading to potential obstacles and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves breaking down tasks into steps, assigning them to users and robotic systems based on skills and environmental factors, and using augmented reality to display the robotic system's predicted movements, providing guidance and adjusting dynamically based on performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If robotic systems perform tasks autonomously without visualizing movements to end users, then automation extent increases, but safety and collaboration quality deteriorate due to lack of visibility causing obstacles and accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an augmented reality device as an intermediary between the robotic system and end users. This mediator visualizes robotic movements, intentions, and status information to users through AR overlays, enabling them to understand and respond to robotic actions in real-time without reducing automation level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by providing real-time visual information about robotic system state, planned movements, and task progress to end users through the AR device. This feedback loop enables users to anticipate robotic actions and adjust their behavior accordingly, improving safety while maintaining automation.
2Productivity
If tasks are performed without breaking down into structured steps and assigning responsibilities, then device complexity decreases, but productivity and collaboration efficiency deteriorate due to unclear task allocation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by breaking down complex tasks into discrete steps and sub-tasks. Each step is assigned to specific users or robotic systems based on capabilities and current state, creating a structured task allocation framework that improves coordination and productivity.
3Loss of information
If augmented reality devices display detailed robotic movement information, then information completeness improves, but user cognitive load and interface complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The AR interface applies local quality by displaying different types of information in different visual formats and locations. Critical safety information is highlighted with distinct visual characteristics, while less critical information is presented in a more subdued manner, allowing users to focus on important elements without being overwhelmed by the complete information set.
Data Source
AI summary
In an approach to improve the management and execution of a task, embodiments receive, by a computing device, the task, divide the task into a plurality of steps, and assign the plurality of steps to an end user and a robotic system. Further, embodiments identify a sequence of predetermined or anticipated motions that will be performed by the robotic system to carry out the plurality of steps, and output a virtual display, by an augmented reality device associated with the end user, the identified predetermined or anticipated motions of the robotic system. Additionally, embodiments communicate guidance, based on the virtual display, to the augmented reality device associated with the end user to guide the end user, and dynamically adjust the guidance based on an identified performance of the end users or the robotic system.