Seminar on Is it better to have three hands, or to work with a human partner?

This talk will present recent results from my group on sensorimotor augmentation and interaction in humans, and how they can help design robots to assist humans. Human movement augmentation with supernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) could allow an individual to perform tasks that cannot be accomplished with just two arms. For example, a surgeon could operate independently of any assistant, using SRLs to adjust suction or light during a complex procedure. Therefore, we are developing interfaces and techniques to control SRLs and identify the capabilities of augmented human users. However, the usual manner to complete tasks requiring more than two hands is to collaborate. Collaboration across humans is essential in many tasks, e.g. for co-piloting, or to guide one's child in their first steps. To understand the mechanisms of physical interaction between humans, we have studied how the haptic information is used by connected individuals during a collaborative motor task. We have also developed a computational algorithm of this interaction, a robotic partner, which induces performance advantages similar to the interaction with a human partner. For instance, understanding the motion plan of its operator, a robot can assist it optimally, thereby providing critical advantages for teleoperation.