Human/robot interaction via the transfer of power and information signals. I. Dynamics and control analysis

Extenders, a class of robot manipulators worn by humans to increase human mechanical strength while the wearer's intellect remains the central intelligent control system for manipulating the extender, are characterized, with a focus on the issues of the dynamics and control of human-machine interaction in the sense of the transfer of power and information signals. General models of the human, the extender, and the interaction between the human and the extender are developed. Unstructured modeling is chosen to include all the dynamics in the systems and to avoid specific models. The stability of the system of human, extender, and object being manipulated is analyzed, and the conditions for stable maneuvers derived. An expression for the performance of the extender is defined as a means to quantify the force augmentation. The tradeoff between stability and performance is described.<>