Project Description:

Soft robotics opens up new capabilities in terms of how artificial systems can move through and interact with the world. In harsh and unpredictable environments, such as outer space, under water, and underground, soft robots can exhibit more adaptability compared to traditional rigid robots. Soft growing robots have an additional ability to create structures and self-support as they move, giving them a unique potential in navigation. However, these new capabilities and potential presents novel challenges in human-robot-interaction, e.g., planning and controlling the robot’s motion and user situation awareness and workload. In this project, we tackle the problem by interdisciplinary partnership between robotics and human engineering. We will investigate how soft growing robot motion can be designed to support teleoperation of shape, and we will engineer new interfaces that will address the human factors challenges presented by these new capabilities. Actuation design for teleoperation is vital for better user control as it recognizes that different actuation will result in different information and planning requirements, due to the independence of current motion from past motions. This work will support human-robot interaction for teleoperating complex robot morphologies in extreme environments.

Start Date:

Summer 2023

Postdoc Qualifications:

Experience with mechanical design and manufacturing, specific experience with soft robotics and pneumatic actuation preferred
Experience with human subjects experiments, IRB protocols
Preferred experience with UX/UI design and human factors engineering

Co-Advisors:

Laura Blumenschein, lhblumen@purdue.edu, Mechanical Engineering, https://engineering.purdue.edu/raad
Denny Yu, dennyyu@purdue.edu, Industrial Engineering, https://engineering.purdue.edu/YuGroup

Bibliography:

Blumenschein, L. H., Koehler, M., Usevitch, N. S., Hawkes, E. W., Rucker, D. C., & Okamura, A. M. (2021). Geometric solutions for general actuator routing on inflated-beam soft growing robots. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 38(3), 1820-1840.

Zhang, T., Yang, J., Liang, N., Pitts, B., Prakah-Asante, K., Curry, R., Duerstock, B., Wachs, J., & Yu, D. (2020). Physiological Measurements of Situation Awareness: A Systematic Review. Human Factors.

Blumenschein, L. H., Coad, M. M., Haggerty, D. A., Okamura, A. M., & Hawkes, E. W. (2020). Design, modeling, control, and application of everting vine robots. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 7, 548266.

Hawkes, E. W., Blumenschein, L. H., Greer, J. D., & Okamura, A. M. (2017). A soft robot that navigates its environment through growth. Science Robotics, 2(8), eaan3028.

Liang, N., Yang, J., Yu, D., Prakah-Asante, K.O., Curry, R., Blommer, M., Swaminathan, R., & Pitts, B.J. (2021). Using Eye-Tracking to Investigate the Effects of Pre-Takeover Visual Engagement on Situation Awareness During Automated Driving. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 157, 106143