Gesture controlled master slave robotic arm with sensory force feedback

Project Title

Gesture controlled master slave robotic arm with sensory force feedback

Project Area of Specialization RoboticsProject Summary

Robots have become the right hand of man and are moving towards advancement with each passing day. As teleoperation robots are among the first developments in robotics field back in 1950’s and is implemented in various applications today. But still there is a challenge of recreating a force feedback and communicating it to the user. This lack of force feedback limits the human to interact with remote environment effectively.

This issue can be solved by developing an effective force feedback system for the gesture controlled robotic arm so that human can work in different environments and circumstances from a safe distance with the same recreated force and tactile feedback.

Our project is focused on the same problem. We propose a design of gesture controlled robotic arm to assist the human in extreme and out of reach places. But as force feedback is the most important element in human-machine interaction for controlling the machine accurately. So we aim to compliment the gesture controlled robot by means of a sensory force feedback. The designed robotic arm will be controlled by a wearable device and will mimic its motion. Mainly, a sense of touch and force feedback is provided to the operator whenever the robotic arm touches or grasps any object or thing. e.g. cutting a wire with slave robot from distance and experiencing the corresponding force applied.

This technology will provide the user to perform required tasks from distance with the same recreated feel of force as in actual. 

Project Objectives

• To fabricate 4DOF robotic arm for mimicking purpose.
• To design a wearable device for controlling the robotic arm.
• To design force detection system at the robotic arm gripper.
• To develop force feedback system to feel the detected force.

Project Implementation Method

Our project consist of 2 parts i.e.

1. Development of a gesture controlled master slave system.
2. Development of a force feedback system for master and slave.

For the gesture control system, potentiometer embedded in wearable device will change its resistance as the operator move his arm, which will accordingly control the position of servo motors attached to the robotic arm and thus will finally put the robot in the same position as operator’s arm.

For the force feedback arrangement, a force sensor will detect the force experienced by robotic arm, produce a signal which will turn an air pump on which in turn increase the size of pneumatic pads attached at the fingertips of the device. Another force sensor present at the fingertips of the device measuring the force experienced by the operator. As soon as readings of both force sensors become equal, the actuator will turn off and operator will experience same force as experienced by the robotic arm.

Benefits of the Project

• It can be used by the military in applications which are dangerous for humans but human supervision is necessary e.g. diffusing a bomb.
• This Animatronic hand can be used in health hazardous areas where human intervention can be harmful such as in chemical plants and nuclear sites.
• This technology can be beneficial for doctors in tele surgeries to operate patients with the same sense of force even when they are not present at the same location.
• The technology can also be used for the rescue operations.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final product will be a robotic arm which will be made of hollow aluminium pipes and servo motors at joints which will put the arm in required position. This robotic arm will be controlled by a full hand length wearable device embedded with potentiometer at each DOF for controlling the position of robotic arm, pneumatic pads and force sensors at the finger tips for creating force feedback and an air pump for driving the pneumatic pads. The whole project will be built using Arduino Mega as the microcontroller     

Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry SecurityOther Industries Education , Agriculture , Health Core Technology RoboticsOther Technologies RoboticsSustainable Development Goals Partnerships to achieve the GoalRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	70462
Robotic Arm Claw	Equipment	1	1962	1962
Robot servo RDS3235 35KG	Equipment	3	3305	9915
Robot servo 25kg RDS3225	Equipment	3	1435	4305
Robot servo MG996	Equipment	3	1000	3000
Aluminum pipes	Equipment	3	250	750
Aluminium stand	Equipment	1	250	250
Aluminium base	Equipment	1	300	300
Force sensitive resistor	Equipment	5	1500	7500
Pressure module	Equipment	2	450	900
Potentiometer	Equipment	6	85	510
2DOF Bracket	Equipment	5	450	2250
Male to female jumper	Equipment	2	90	180
Male to male jumper	Equipment	2	90	180
Power supply	Equipment	2	750	1500
Arduino acrylic case	Equipment	2	220	440
Wifi bulb security camera	Equipment	2	3500	7000
5 mm heat sink	Equipment	10	20	200
cable connector	Equipment	20	10	200
SM conector male to female	Equipment	20	35	700
screw driver set	Equipment	1	1200	1200
wire cutter	Equipment	1	220	220
soldering iron	Equipment	2	450	900
Glue gun	Equipment	1	350	350
heavy duty knife	Equipment	1	250	250
Miscellenous items prints, stationary etc	Miscellaneous	1	10000	10000
Arduino Mega	Equipment	2	1500	3000
Flex sensors	Equipment	5	2500	12500