Regular Papers

International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems 2024; 22(2): 661-675

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12555-022-0728-x

© The International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems

Research on Human-robot Shared Control of Throat Swab Sampling Robot Based on Intention Estimation

Ying-Long Chen*, Fu-Jun Song, Heng-Fei Yan, Peng-Yu Zhao, and Yong-Jun Gong

Dalian Maritime University

Abstract

With the spread and persistence of COVID-19, pharyngeal swab sampling, is an important link in nucleic acid testing, which is characterized by a high workload and susceptibility to infection. Therefore, it is necessary for medical workers to use medical robots instead of manual site sampling for collaborative sampling. However, the traditional teleoperation has difficulty ensuring the closed-loop performance due to the delay of the actual process, along with the weak control performance; Moreover, a robot cannot accurately plan and track sampling paths due to sensor accuracy and the changes in patient pharyngeal posture. The paper proposes a human-robot shared control strategy based on intention estimation, introducing the human intention as a reference, and the operator and robot work together to solve various significant problems during sampling. The human-robot negotiation based on the method includes the human judgement and perception and the robot into the invasion task. Through, the shared control based on the operator intention estimation, the robot can operate the obstacle avoidance and approach the target contact point remotely. Finally, two kinds of experiments of invasion process of throat swab sampling are implemented: a static target invasive experiment and a dynamic target invasive experiment, aiming at two different sampling conditions. Compared with the robotic independent control sampling, the time consumption in the two experiments is reduced by 34.8% and 41.6%, respectively, and the ultimate target position is basically within the scope of sampling field (where the range of the posterior pharynx wall < 20 mm). Thus, the sampling rate can reach 100%. Compared with independent control sampling by humans, the time consumption of the two experiments is respectively reduced by 15.9% and 42.3% on average, and the target position accuracy and sampling rate are quite close. Experimental results show that the control strategy improves the speed, flexibility, and intelligence of task execution compared to common sampling methods, laying the foundation for low-cost human-robot collaborative sampling.

Keywords COVID-19, human-robot collaboration, shared control, teleoperation, throat swab sampling robot.

Article

Regular Papers

International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems 2024; 22(2): 661-675

Published online February 1, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12555-022-0728-x

Copyright © The International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems.

Research on Human-robot Shared Control of Throat Swab Sampling Robot Based on Intention Estimation

Ying-Long Chen*, Fu-Jun Song, Heng-Fei Yan, Peng-Yu Zhao, and Yong-Jun Gong

Dalian Maritime University

Abstract

With the spread and persistence of COVID-19, pharyngeal swab sampling, is an important link in nucleic acid testing, which is characterized by a high workload and susceptibility to infection. Therefore, it is necessary for medical workers to use medical robots instead of manual site sampling for collaborative sampling. However, the traditional teleoperation has difficulty ensuring the closed-loop performance due to the delay of the actual process, along with the weak control performance; Moreover, a robot cannot accurately plan and track sampling paths due to sensor accuracy and the changes in patient pharyngeal posture. The paper proposes a human-robot shared control strategy based on intention estimation, introducing the human intention as a reference, and the operator and robot work together to solve various significant problems during sampling. The human-robot negotiation based on the method includes the human judgement and perception and the robot into the invasion task. Through, the shared control based on the operator intention estimation, the robot can operate the obstacle avoidance and approach the target contact point remotely. Finally, two kinds of experiments of invasion process of throat swab sampling are implemented: a static target invasive experiment and a dynamic target invasive experiment, aiming at two different sampling conditions. Compared with the robotic independent control sampling, the time consumption in the two experiments is reduced by 34.8% and 41.6%, respectively, and the ultimate target position is basically within the scope of sampling field (where the range of the posterior pharynx wall < 20 mm). Thus, the sampling rate can reach 100%. Compared with independent control sampling by humans, the time consumption of the two experiments is respectively reduced by 15.9% and 42.3% on average, and the target position accuracy and sampling rate are quite close. Experimental results show that the control strategy improves the speed, flexibility, and intelligence of task execution compared to common sampling methods, laying the foundation for low-cost human-robot collaborative sampling.

Keywords: COVID-19, human-robot collaboration, shared control, teleoperation, throat swab sampling robot.

IJCAS
November 2024

Vol. 22, No. 11, pp. 3253~3544

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