CPS: Synergy: Collaborative Research: Learning Control Sharing Strategies for Assistive Cyber-Physical Systems

This work proposes to develop a formalism for how to optimally shift between control paradigms that share control between an assistive robotic arm and a human operator. Technical components of the work will develop the assistive framework and implement it for use with the MICO robotic arm. These tasks will be performed in collaboration with the Carnegie Mellon team. The assistive framework will be assessed for efficacy and optimal formulation by volunteers with and without high Spinal Cord Injury. Development and testing of the technical components performed by the Northwestern/RIC team will occur at the Assistive & Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory directed by PI Argall and located at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). The studies with Spinal Cord Injured subjects will occur at RIC. (The studies with noninjured subjects will occur at Carnegie Mellon.) IRB approval will be obtained from Northwestern for the Northwestern/RIC studies. The goal will be to assess the formulation of the assistive framework. No work will be performed on the Northwestern campus. The student funded on this project will be a graduate student at Northwestern.