Advances in the Development of Interactive Robotics Technology for the Severely Disabled

It has been hypothesized that industrial robotics technology can be adapted to serve the manipulation needs of people with severe physical disabilities. A computer-controlled device, called the Robotic Aid, has been built and is being evaluated. It allows the disabled person to control the motion of a Unimation PUMA 250 robot in real time. Various devices, such as sensate grippers, are being developed to lessen the control burden on the user. The results of this investigation are relevant to industrial automation in unstructured environments and to the general study of interactions of people and "intelligent" machines.