Human Guidance: Wearable Technologies, Methods, and Experiments

In this thesis, my main contributions to the ?eld of Robotics and Haptics are presented. Results and deductions represent the work done during the PhD. My research investigated multiple ways to guide humans using haptic interfaces and novel tracking systems. Two main ?elds were tackled in the past three years: i) tracking systems and algorithms, ii) haptic devices and guidance policies. Haptic feedback and limbs tracking are the two main pillars for human guidance, and this thesis discusses when and how they can be used to their best effect in interactive applications. The dissertation begins with an introduction in where guidelines of haptics and tracking are backgrounded. The ?rst Chapter introduces the unique attributes of the touch sense in physiological terms, and the nature of information and control that can provide. Then, the ?ow continues with an overview of the tracking state of the art, outlining our contribution. Two main parts supplement the rest of the thesis. The former concerns the problem of tracking different body parts, in a wearable, low-cost, and effective way. Solutions for ?ngers,hand,and head are reported and discussed, proposing interesting real applications. Thelatterfocusesontheproblemofguidinghumansbymeansofhapticinterfaces. More in detail, we analyze how to adapt algorithms and techniques originally developed for mobile robots to guide people. An innovative policy to control both human angular and linear velocity is presented as a preliminary result in the last part of this work.