Course at a Glance
The present course will introduce the field of physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI). It will discuss current scientific and technological limitations in collaborative scenarios and methods to deal with them. Emphasis will be given to the integration of knowledge between  neuroscience and robotics.

Instructors
Jacopo Zenzeri jacopo.zenzeri@iit.it

Credits: 3

Synopsis

Robotic technology is rapidly developing, and seemingly offers a multitude of potential near-future applications. We see robots as embodied artificial intelligence (AI), and although AI is  progressing rapidly in many areas, generating efficient movement and physical interaction is  still a major challenge, especially when it comes to human-like movement and interaction
with humans. In line with these considerations, in the next years the field of physical human- robot interaction will be extensively studied both from human and robot side. Specific robots will be designed to cooperate with humans in different contexts such as assisted  industrial manipulation, virtual training, entertainment or rehabilitation.
The first part of the course will introduce basic concepts on how the brain control  movements in humans and how it is possible to design robot control strategies for interacting robots. In the second part of the course will be presented findings in  collaborative scenarios both from robot and human perspective.


Syllabus
- The concept of physical human robot interaction
- Human motor control strategies and mechanisms
- Robot control in pHRI: Compliance control, Impedance control, Force control
- Human motor skill learning during haptic interaction
- Robot learning algorithms in collaborative contexts


Final exam
There will be a final examination scheduled with each student.


Prerequisites
None

Reading List
Specific readings will be assigned for each class.


Venue
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genova


Course dates
November - December 2017