Robotic Manipulator Input Mapping for Intuitive GUI Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic manipulator systems lack intuitive and efficient methods for users to perform inputs, such as menu control or activation of graphical user interface objects, using manual guidance and force or moment applications.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a robotic manipulator with sensors to record kinematic variables, forces, or moments applied by a user, and a computing unit that transforms these input variables into coordinates or settings for a graphical user interface or virtual control element, allowing for intuitive input performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a robotic manipulator is equipped with sensors and a computing unit to enable intuitive manual guidance input, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic manipulator is designed to serve dual functions: as a robotic system for automated tasks and as an input device for user interaction. The sensor system records both manual guidance inputs and operational data, while the computing unit processes these inputs to control both the manipulator's movement and graphical user interface elements, making the system universally functional for both automation and human-computer interaction
Solution Approach 2:
A computing unit acts as an intermediary between the sensor recordings and the control system. It transforms recorded input variables (position, force, moment) into control commands for both the manipulator actuators and graphical user interface elements, mediating between physical manual guidance and digital control operations
2Ease of operation
If the system transforms input variables into graphical user interface coordinates through mathematical mapping, then the ease of operation is improved, but the computing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies parameter changes by transforming input variables from physical space (position, force, moment) into graphical interface space (coordinates, control element settings) through predefined mathematical mappings. This transformation enables direct correlation between physical manipulator movements and digital interface interactions, simplifying user operation despite the underlying computational complexity
3Measurement precision
If force sensors and moment sensors are added to record user input, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is segmented into multiple independent sensor units: position sensors for recording spatial coordinates, force sensors for recording applied forces, and moment sensors for recording applied moments. Each sensor type independently measures a specific physical quantity, and all recordings are integrated by the computing unit to provide comprehensive input data for precise control
Data Source
AI summary
A system for performing an input on a robotic manipulator, wherein the system includes: a robotic manipulator having a plurality of links connected to one another by articulations and having actuators; a sensor unit configured to record an input variable, applied by a user by manually guiding the robotic manipulator, on the robotic manipulator, wherein the input variable is a kinematic variable or a force and/or a moment, and wherein the sensor unit is configured to transmit the input variable; and a computing unit connected to the robotic manipulator and to the sensor unit, the computing unit configured to transform the input variable received from the sensor unit via a predefined input variable mapping, wherein the input variable mapping defines a mathematical mapping of the input variable onto a coordinate of a graphical user interface or onto a setting of a virtual control element.