Harvard University gives robotic WAM arm the 'human-touch'

Citation

(1999), "Harvard University gives robotic WAM arm the 'human-touch'", Industrial Robot, Vol. 26 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1999.04926dab.005

Harvard University gives robotic WAM arm the 'human-touch'

Harvard University gives robotic WAM^TM arm the "human-touch"

Keywords Teleoperation, Robotics

Barrett Technology manufactures advanced robotic arms and graspers designed to work with people.

In collaboration with Stanford, University of California at Berkeley, and John Hopkins, researchers led by Professor Robert Howe at Harvard's Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences are developing a model for Barrett Technology's WAM robotic arm to emulate the human arm's ability to apply various degrees of force through feedback.

Harvard is developing systems capable of complex human-like touch interaction. As a result, these systems are capable of performing tasks that no robot has done before. Harvard researchers have attached a force-sensor with a semi-hemispherical cap at the end of the WAM arm to probe its environment. Essentially, the arm will be able to sense whether it is in contact with something soft, such as a pillow, or something as hard as a wall, and apply the appropriate force.

According to Howe, "Current industrial robot arms are position controlled: they go where they've been told to go, even if there's something in the way. Using the unique capabilities of the WAM arm, we're developing robots with a soft touch that can interact safely with unstructured environments. In the system we're developing, if the WAM finds an unexpected object in the environment, the initial contact is soft and the robot can carefully explore the object to learn more about it without damaging it". Professor Howe adds, "The WAM is the only platform supporting the kind of advanced capabilities and performance our work requires".

Harvard chose the WAM arm for its extraordinary flexibility and manipulation capabilities. Research scientist, Jaydev Desai claims, "Barrett's WAM arm is the best low impedence robotic arm in the market". While factory robots have only high impedance, which gives them their characteristic jerky robotic motions, the WAM arm actively adjusts its impedance from very low to very high.

Harvard research scientist, Yoky Matsuoka adds, "Given the improvements in computers, it's amazing what robots cannot do. Our work with the WAM arm aims to change all that".

For more information contact: Kellie Browne, Barrett Technology, Inc. Tel: (617) 252 9617) 252 9021; e-mail: kb@barrett.com