Description du sujet de thèse

Multi-drone-human collaboration teams for high-risk assembling and handling tasks

Contexte de travail

Despite the great recent progress in automation, computer science, and machine learning, robots still have many limitations (e.g., limited cognitive/manipulation capabilities) and they cannot fulfill alone the wide range of tasks that humans can perform. Achieving an effective collaboration between robots and humans could clearly enlarge the nature of tasks that can be addressed together. The aim of this project is to propose a multi-robot system that allows humans to remotely perform tasks at high locations eliminating any potential risk for the operator. Since ground robots cannot be employed in such conditions, we propose a human-multi-drone team in which a human user remotely controls a group of drones in completing a complex task that requires advanced coordination and manipulation capabilities. To achieve such an ambitious goal, it is essential that drones acquire manipulation capabilities as well as improve their interaction and coordination with humans. Moreover, several advancements in the theory, control, and interaction of coordinated human-drone teams should be accomplished. As a representative example of a high-impact scenario, we plan to carry out a peg-in-hole task at a high location: A group of drones collaboratively transports an object, i.e., a peg, to a target location, i.e., a hole. Once it has been reached, an aerial manipulator grasps the lower part of the peg and inserts it into the hole, coordinating its motion with the one of the transport team. These actions are remotely imparted by a human operator, who controls the synergistic motion of the aerial team using a grounded haptic interface and shared-control techniques. At the same time, the operator receives information about the task, the team, and the interaction with the environment, through a combination of grounded and wearable haptic feedback. A view of the remote environment is provided to the operator through a VR headset thanks to a group of supporting drones equipped with cameras.

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