Intuitive and Adaptive Robotic Arm Manipulation using the Leap Motion Controller

Robotics provide an efficient approach in the development of assistive devices, due to their enhanced functionality. Statistics predict that by 2035, half of the population in Germany is going to be older than fifty, every third person even over 60. These ageing societies face numerous challenges in performing simple tasks in Activities of Daily Living "ADLs". Increasingly, a lot of research is being focused on Ambient Assisted Living "AAL" which presents a new approach that promises to address the needs of elderly people. An important goal of AAL is to contribute to the quality of life of the elderly and handicapped people and help them to maintain an independent lifestyle. The introduction of robotics and technology-supported environments will play a huge role in allowing elderly and physically impaired people to keep living a self-determined, independent life in their familiar surroundings. In this paper, the implementation of a novel intuitive and adaptive manipulation scheme is proposed, by developing a human-machine communication interface between the Leap Motion controller and the 6-DOF Jaco robotic arm. An algorithm is developed to allow an optimum mapping between the user hand movement, tracked by the Leap Motion controller, and the Jaco arm. The system should allow for a more natural human-computer interaction and a smooth manipulation of the robotic arm, by constantly adapting to the user hand tremor or shake. The implementation would specially enhance the quality of living, especially for people with upper limb problems, and would support them in performing some of the essential Activities of Daily Living "ADLs". The applications of this human-robot interaction will be discussed in relation with Ambient Assisted Living, where some use case scenarios will be introduced.