A novel scheme for human-friendly and time-delays robust neuropredictive teleoperation

A novel Neuropredictive Teleoperation (NPT) Scheme is presented. The design results from two key ideas: the exploitation of the measured or estimated neural input to the human arm or its electromyograph (EMG) as the system in put and the employment of a predictor of the arm movement, based on this ne ural signal and an arm model, to compensate for time delays in the system. Although a multitude of such models, as well as measuring devices for the n eural signals and the EMG, have been proposed, current telemanipulator rese arch has only been considering highly simplified arm models. In the present design, the bilateral constraint that the master and slave are simultaneou sly compliant to each other's state (equal positions and forces) is abandon ed, thus obtaining a "simple to analyze" succession of only locally control led modules, and a robustness to time delays of up to 500 ms. The proposed designs were inspired by well established physiological evidence that the b rain, rather than controlling the movement on-line, "programs" the arm with an action plan of a complete movement, which is then executed largely in o pen loop, regulated only by local reflex loops. As a model of the human arm the well-established Stark model is employed, whose mathematical represent ation is modified to make it suitable for an engineering application. The p roposed scheme is however valid for any arm model. BIBO-stability and passi vity results for a variety of local control laws are reported. Simulation r esults and comparisons with "traditional" designs also highlight the advant ages of the proposed design.