Controlling a Robot is Now as Simple as Point and Click

Science and Technology

Science and Technology

Controlling a Robot is Now as Simple as Point and Click


New interface allows more efficient, faster technique to remotely operate robots




By
Jason Maderer | April 24, 2017
• Atlanta, GA








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A comparison of the current ring-and-arrow technique and Georgia Tech's new point-and-click interface.

The traditional interface for remotely operating robots works just fine for roboticists. They use a computer screen and mouse to independently control six degrees of freedom, turning three virtual rings and adjusting arrows to get the robot into position to grab items or perform a specific task.

But for someone who isn’t an expert, the ring-and-arrow system is cumbersome and error-prone. It’s not ideal, for example, for older people trying to control assistive robots at home.

A new interface designed by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers is much simpler, more efficient and doesn’t require significant training time. The user simply points and clicks on an item, then chooses a grasp. The robot does the rest of the work.

“Instead of a series of rotations, lowering and raising arrows, adjusting the grip and guessing the correct depth of field, we’ve shortened the process to just two clicks,” said Sonia Chernova, the Catherine M. and James E. Allchin Early-Career Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing who advised the research effort.

Her team tested college students on both systems, and found that the point-and-click method resulted in significantly fewer errors, allowing participants to perform tasks more quickly and reliably than using the traditional method.

“Roboticists design machines for specific tasks, then often turn them over to people who know less about how to control them,” said David Kent, the Georgia Tech Ph.D. robotics student who led the project. “Most people would have a hard time turning virtual dials if they needed a robot to grab their medicine. But pointing and ...

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