Wearable Terminal for Robot Control via Muscle and Head Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
In small-scale production modes, the transition from human-led activities to dual-arm robots is hindered by the need for high-performance robots, leading to lengthy development and high maintenance costs, and there is a lack of suitable interfaces for safe and efficient communication of human intentions to robots, particularly in factory automation settings.
Innovation Solution
A worker terminal system that uses muscle potential and head movement sensors to input operation commands to robots, ensuring safe and feasible operations by requiring intentional input of muscle potential changes and head movements, allowing for cooperative work between humans and robots without the need for hand-based input, and featuring adjustable conditions for individual worker compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If dual-arm robots are used to replace workers in small-scale production mode, then productivity and precision are improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A wearable terminal device serves as an intermediary between the worker and the robot. The terminal detects muscle potentials and head movements to recognize worker intentions, then transmits these intentions to the robot control system. This allows simple robots to be controlled effectively without requiring complex high-performance robots, resolving the contradiction between productivity improvement and device complexity reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical control interfaces (buttons, switches, hand-based input devices) with a physiological signal-based control system. By detecting muscle potentials and head movements, the system translates human intentions directly into robot commands, eliminating the need for complex mechanical interaction interfaces and enabling simpler robot designs.
2Manufacturing precision
If high-performance robots with multiple sensors are deployed, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time in development and teaching increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables workers to intuitively control robots through natural physiological actions (muscle potential changes and head movements) that occur automatically during normal work activities. The wearable terminal automatically detects these signals and translates them into robot commands without requiring manual programming or teaching, thereby reducing development and teaching time while maintaining precision through the worker's natural operational patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms where the wearable terminal continuously monitors muscle potentials and head movements, processes these signals to determine worker intentions, and immediately transmits appropriate commands to the robot. This closed-loop feedback system ensures accurate and timely robot responses to worker intentions, maintaining manufacturing precision while minimizing delays.
3Ease of operation
If hand-based input devices are used for robot control, then ease of operation is maintained, but safety and feasibility are compromised due to potential misoperation
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable terminal acts as an intelligent intermediary that filters and verifies worker intentions before transmitting commands to the robot. By analyzing muscle potential patterns and head movement directions, the system distinguishes between intentional commands and accidental movements, thereby preventing misoperations while maintaining natural and convenient operation through physiological signals.
4Device complexity
If simpler robots are used to reduce cost, then device complexity and maintenance cost are reduced, but productivity and precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex robot hardware with a sophisticated control interface based on physiological signal detection. By using the wearable terminal to detect and interpret muscle potentials and head movements, the system enables simple robots to perform complex tasks with high precision and productivity, effectively substituting mechanical complexity with intelligent control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables safe and efficient operation of robots by reducing the risk of misoperation, allowing for simultaneous or successive human-robot interactions without affecting natural workflow, and enabling cost-effective and accurate production by using simpler robots, thus improving operation efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
a first sensor that detects a muscle potential of a worker
Implementation Method 2
a second sensor that detects a head movement of the worker
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A worker terminal that sends an operation commands to robots used in work includes: a first sensor that detects a muscle potential of a worker; a second sensor that detects a head movement of the worker; a processing unit that determines whether or not operation instructions, defined by a combination of the head movement and change in the muscle potential, have been input by the worker, on the basis of the detection results of the first sensor and the second sensor; and a communications unit that sends an operation command to the robot is a determination has been made that an operation instruction has been input by the worker.