Zoran Najdovski

Extending Haptic Device Capability for 3D Virtual Grasping

This paper presents an investigation into the workspace constraints observed through the use of multiple single point haptic interfaces, which lead to the design of a novel grasping device that improves upon current commercial haptic interfaces. The presented device is desktop based, and has been designed to maximise the haptic workspace while offering the ability to grasp and manipulate virtual objects, which is a function that current commercial interfaces are limited in providing. The performance of the commercial haptic interface in producing sustained effective operation and increased workspace with the attached haptic gripper is evaluated, and the improvement of both has been determined.

Technical skills measurement based on a cyber-physical system for endovascular surgery simulation

Quantification of medical skills is a challenge, particularly simulator‐based training. In the case of endovascular intervention, it is desirable that a simulator accurately recreates the morphology and mechanical characteristics of the vasculature while enabling scoring.

OzTug mobile robot for manufacturing transportation

Firstly, this paper introduces the OzTug mobile robot developed to autonomously manoeuvre large loads within a manufacturing environment. The mobile robot utilises differential drive and necessary design criteria includes low-cost, mechanical robustness, and the ability to manoeuvre loads ranging up to 2000kg. The robot is configured to follow a predefined trajectory while maintaining the forward velocity of a user-specified velocity profile. A vision-based fuzzy logic line following controller enables the robot to track the paths on the floor of the manufacturing environment. Secondly, in order to tow large loads along predefined paths three different robot-load configurations are proposed. Simulation within the Webots environment was performed in order to empirically evaluate the three different robot-load configurations. The simulation results demonstrate the cost-performance trade-off of two of the approaches.

3D Virtual Haptic Cone for Intuitive Vehicle Motion Control

Haptic technology provides the ability for a system to recreate the sense of touch to a human operator, and as such offers wide reaching advantages. The ability to interact with the humans tactual modality introduces haptic human-machine interaction to replace or augment existing mediums such as visual and audible information. A distinct advantage of haptic human-machine interaction is the intrinsic bilateral nature, where information can be communicated in both directions simultaneously. This paper investigates the bilateral nature of the haptic interface in controlling the motion of a remote (or virtual) vehicle and presents the ability to provide an additional dimension of haptic information to the user over existing approaches (Park et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2002; and Horan et al., 2007). The 3D virtual haptic cone offers the ability to not only provide the user with relevant haptic augmentation pertaining to the task at hand, as do existing approaches, however, to also simultaneously provide an intuitive indication of the current velocities being commanded.

Shape Sensing Techniques for Continuum Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery: A Survey

Continuum robots provide inherent structural compliance with high dexterity to access the surgical target sites along tortuous anatomical paths under constrained environments and enable to perform complex and delicate operations through small incisions in minimally invasive surgery. These advantages enable their broad applications with minimal trauma and make challenging clinical procedures possible with miniaturized instrumentation and high curvilinear access capabilities. However, their inherent deformable designs make it difficult to realize 3-D intraoperative real-time shape sensing to accurately model their shape. Solutions to this limitation can lead themselves to further develop closely associated techniques of closed-loop control, path planning, human–robot interaction, and surgical manipulation safety concerns in minimally invasive surgery. Although extensive model-based research that relies on kinematics and mechanics has been performed, accurate shape sensing of continuum robots remains challenging, particularly in cases of unknown and dynamic payloads. This survey investigates the recent advances in alternative emerging techniques for 3-D shape sensing in this field and focuses on the following categories: fiber-optic-sensor-based, electromagnetic-tracking-based, and intraoperative imaging modality-based shape-reconstruction methods. The limitations of existing technologies and prospects of new technologies are also discussed.

Augmented optometry training simulator with multi-point haptics

Training of optometrists is traditionally achieved under close supervision of peers and superiors. With the rapid advancement in technology, medical procedures are performed more efficiently and effectively, resulting in faster recovery times and less trauma to the patient. However, application of this technology has made it difficult to effectively demonstrate and teach these manual skills as the education is now a combination of not only the medical procedure but also the use of the technology. In this paper we propose to increase the training capabilities of optometry students through haptically-enabled single-point and multi-point training tools as well as augmented reality techniques. Haptics technology allows a human to touch and feel virtual computer models as though they are real. Through physical connection to the operator, haptic devices are considered to be personal robots that are capable of improving the human-computer interaction with a virtual environment. These devices have played an increasing role in developing expertise, reducing instances of medical error and reducing training costs. A haptically-enabled virtual training environment, integrated with an optometry slit lamp instrument can be used to teach cognitive and manual skills while the system tracks the performance of each individual. These interactions would ideally replicate every aspect of the real procedure, consequently preparing the trainee for every possible scenario, without risking the health of a real patient.

Design, Development, and Evaluation of a Pinch–Grasp Haptic Interface

Interaction with virtual or teleoperated environments requires contact with objects on a multipoint level. We describe the design of a pinch-grasp hand interface device for use as a grasping mechanism to complement haptic interfaces. To preserve a suitable level of transparency for human-computer interaction, this novel interface is designed for high-resolution contact forces, while centered around a lightweight structure. This functionality renders the device scalable and adaptable to a wide range of haptic interface structures and force level requirements. We present an optimal configuration for a pinch-grasp interface, which produces bidirectional forces to an operators fingers and a rotational force to the wrist through a cable drive system. The device is characterized for use on a commercial haptic interface through demonstration of sustained peak performance and also workspace utilization. The dynamic performance of the pinch-grasp interface is experimentally determined, and the frequency response is identified to illustrate its contact force resolution.

Grasping virtual objects with multi-point haptics

The majority of commercially available haptic devices offer a single point of haptic interaction. These devices are limited when it is desirable to grasp with multiple fingers in applications including virtual training, telesurgery and telemanipulation. Multipoint haptic devices serve to facilitate a greater range of interactions. This paper presents a gripper attachment to enable multi-point haptic grasping in virtual environments. The approach employs two Phantom Omni haptic devices to independently render forces to the users thumb and other fingers. Compared with more complex approaches to multi-point haptics, this approach provides a number of advantages including low-cost, reliability and ease of programming. The ability of the integrated multi-point haptic platform to interact within a CHAI 3D virtual environment is also presented.

In vitro strain measurements in cerebral aneurysm models for cyber-physical diagnosis

The development of new diagnostic technologies for cerebrovascular diseases requires an understanding of the mechanism behind the growth and rupture of cerebral aneurysms. To provide a comprehensive diagnosis and prognosis of this disease, it is desirable to evaluate wall shear stress, pressure, deformation and strain in the aneurysm region, based on information provided by medical imaging technologies.

Multi-point multi-hand haptic teleoperation of a mobile robot

This paper introduces a novel approach to multi-point multi-hand haptic teleoperation of a mobile robot. The work extends upon existing approaches to provide the teleoperator with the ability to utilise one hand to achieve intuitive haptic control of the mobile robot while utilising the other hand to intuitively control the orientation (and corresponding visual information) of the robots onboard camera. This work begins with the introduction of the Intuitive Haptic Conical Control Surface which extends upon existing approaches to provide the teleoperator with an intuitive method for issuing robot motion commands whilst simultaneously displaying real-time task-dependent haptic augmentation. A novel multi-point haptic gripper prototype is then introduced providing the basis for the teleoperator to haptically utilise the camera-in-hand metaphor for intuitive control of the visual information provided by the robots onboard camera. The distinct advantages justifying the individual approaches are discussed and it is suggested that using dual haptic modalities the teleoperator can utilise both approaches simultaneously for intuitive haptic mobile robotic teleoperation. This work represents the first stage of a continuing research project and provides innovative contributions facilitating the presented approach to mobile robotic teleoperation. The realisation of this capability enables future research to fully investigate the human factors and efficacy of the approach.