Publications / 2022 Proceedings of the 39th ISARC, Bogotá, Colombia

Integrated Sensor-Based Interface for Human-Robot Collaboration in Construction

Xin Wang, Dharmaraj Veeramani and Zhenhua Zhu
Pages 328-335 (2022 Proceedings of the 39th ISARC, Bogotá, Colombia, ISBN 978-952-69524-2-0, ISSN 2413-5844)
Abstract:

Construction robots have the potential to increase construction productivity at job sites and can help overcome industry challenges such as labor shortage and safety risks. User-friendly interfaces are critical for advancing human-robot work collaboration and increasing use of construction robots. However, human-robot interfaces in the context of construction industry applications have been investigated to a limited extent only. This paper proposes a novel sensor-based framework which integrates eye tracking and hand gesture recognition for human-robot interaction in construction. Specifically, it begins with visual detection of construction machines in the first-person views. Then, the machine-of-interest is determined based on the detection results and human gaze points. Finally, a real-time hand gesture recognition system is employed for conveying messages to the machine to guide its operations. So far, the proposed framework was tested in a laboratory setting using a robotic dump truck. The results showed that the proposed framework could serve an effective interface to support the interactions between workers and construction machines.

Keywords: Wearable Sensors; Eye Tracking; Hand Gesture Recognition; Human-Robot Interface