The post-earthquake search and rescue operations assisted by robots will be eficient if the humanrobot interaction (HRI) is easy to perform. It can be done using soft-bodied robots, which are better in performance when compared to their rigid-bodied counterparts. Among them, soft continuum robots (SCR) can be used due to their sleek nature. The SCRs are of two types: soft continuum manipulators (SCM) and soft snake robots (SSR). Although these two robots are functionally diferent, they are structurally similar. Therefore, these robots can be made modular and reconfigurable. The SCM can assist the medical team with pick-and-place operations, and the SSR can traverse confined spaces that occur after disasters such as earthquakes. It is inferred from our survey that not much of the research work in the literature focuses on the HRI methods for SCR in post-disaster situations. Therefore, in this work, we focus on developing the HRI methods for SCR, which are modular and reconfigurable.
2.1. Goal Our work aims to develop an interaction platform modular for a reconfigurable soft continuum robot that can be used as a manipulator and a snake robot. This setup is planned to be used during post-earthquake search operations. A number of modular mechanisms form the SCR, where the conceptual design of one is shown in Figure 1 (a). The three modules can be connected parallelly to form a soft continuum manipulator, as shown in Figure 1 (b). The medical team can use this configuration to handle medical devices sterilely. The four modules can be connected in series to form a soft continuum snake robot, as shown in Figure 1 (c). This configuration can be used for search operations inside the damaged buildings. Since the mechanism is modular, the modules can be easily replaced when damaged. The main focus of the work is to study various feasible means of interaction when the SCR is in the form of a manipulator and snake robot. This is because the functions of the manipulator and snake robot are entirely diferent. Hence, the input modalities to operate them would also vary. Therefore, we aim to study and map the modalities with the SCR for multi-modal interaction. 2.2. Research questions The following are the research questions I have posed, which I aim to address during my studies. 1. How to design a human-robot interface for a soft continuum robot that is modular and reconfigurable? 2. What kind of interaction modalities are eficient to operate a soft continuum robot in post-earthquake scenarios? 3. Can pneumatic or hydraulic actuators eficiently control the soft continuum robots in post-earthquake scenarios? 4. Will self-reconfiguration of the soft continuum robots be done eficiently so that the search operation is not hindered?
I hope that finding answers to these questions will pave the way for creating an interface for soft modular, reconfigurable continuum robots that can be used in multiple scenarios that arise post-earthquakes.
In the year 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in the Tohoku region of eastern
Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was damaged due to hydrogen explosions,
and nuclear reactions were uncontrollable. The robots named Quince, which were belt-driven,
had to be retrofitted to carry out the tasks inside the reactor [
A robot named WALK-MAN, which had the upper body of a humanoid and a wheeled base,
was used to perform various tasks inside the damaged building post the 2016 Italy earthquake
[
The literature study on urban search operations showed that snake robots were used for
searching operations in real-world applications. This snake robot was built by the Carnegie
Mellon University Biorobotics Laboratory and was used for the search operation after the 2017
earthquake in Mexico City. During this operation, the gait parameters for the snake robot had
to be adapted manually depending on the feedback displays and camera feed. This highlights
the importance of mid-level autonomy [
It can be found in the literature that robots are being used in real-world applications where disaster has occurred. More of these robots will be used to assist humans during post-disaster situations. Depending on the situation, the mode of communication between the robot and the humans in the ground station can be wired or wireless.
The fluid-driven soft devices can be used in human-robot interaction [
The soft continuum robot mechanisms in the literature will be studied, and a new mechanism
with three degrees of freedom will be designed. It will be modeled using the FreeCAD
software and imported into the SOFA [
Having decided on the interaction modalities for the SCM and SSR based on the robot design, the robot will be fabricated using an additive manufacturing technique (Fused Filament Fabrication) using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as the material. A mock setup of a collapsed building will be made in an open environment exposed to sunlight. There will be mannequins placed in the middle of the collapsed buildings which are considered to be humans. Then, the experiments with the SCR will be done with the participants. Based on these results, the best way to interact with the SCR will be decided.
Stage 1: Literature survey Conduct a literature survey on various means of input modalities
by following the PRISMA 2020 statement [
Stage 2: Design the soft continuum robot mechanism Based on the gaps identified, design a three-degree-of-freedom soft module mechanism that can bend, twist, expand, and contract. The actuator selection has to be done, followed by the soft sensors to be mounted on the robot.
Stage 3: Create a bench-top prototype Using the rapid prototyping techniques, create a bench-top prototype of the SCRs. Then, test their functioning by using the pre-programmed motions.
Stage 4: Learn SOFA and perform the analysis Learn the SOFA framework [
Stage 5: Explore the various input modalities The bench-top prototype has to be interfaced using the diferent input modalities such as physiological parameter tracking, eye tracking, hand tracking, body and face tracking, voice recognition, gesture input, in virtual, augmented and mixed reality environment.
Stage 6: Create the final setup and perform the experiment The mock setup of the post-earthquake scenario, as mentioned earlier, would be set up. The user study will use the SCR in the manipulator mode with medical assistants as participants. Then, the user study of the soft snake robot will be done using rescue workers who will be assisting in the search operations after the earthquake. The various input modalities will be tested for eficacy with the participants during the experiment, and the data will be collected.
Stage 7: Analysis of the data The data collected from the user study will be analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on their results, the best modalities for the multi-modal interaction will be chosen by enabling interaction during physical and situational impairments.
This work describes a conceptual design of a module that forms a modular mechanism for a soft continuum manipulator and soft snake robot. The goals and research questions were presented, focusing on using these robots for post-earthquake search operations. The related works were analyzed, followed by the methods, and the next steps to conduct the research were presented. This work will lead to the findings where the best multi-modal interactions are obtained to control the soft continuum robot during post-earthquake search operations.