A Novel Interface for Intuitive Control of Assistive Robots Based on Inertial Measurement Units

Within this work a novel input device is described which enables direct control of a seven DOF robot arm with head motions. Head motions were measured using an inertial measurement unit with integrated signal processing. The proposed control structure was tested with five able-bodied subjects and a tetraplegic. The usability of the system was evaluated on the basis of a questionnaire. All the subjects, including the tetraplegic, were able to complete the control task during first-time use. These results show that the proposed interface may be a promising alternative to existing interfaces.

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