보조 신체 로봇 팔의 작업 공간에 따른 사용자의 감각에 대한 연구

초록

Supernumerary robotic arms (SRA) are a type of wearable robot that provides users with additional limbs and enhances the degrees of freedom of their body. Previous studies on SRAs have primarily focused on the relationship between the user and the SRA for the design and development of SRA. However, there has been a lack of consideration regarding how the workspace of SRA affects the user’s experiences. The SRA users need to perceive the expanded range of motion and integrate it as part of their body’s operational space. Otherwise, the risk of collisions with the surrounding environment or colleagues may increase, making safe use more difficult. This study aims to analyze the impact of SRA’s range of motion on user’s experience. A total of 30 participants were tested in a virtual reality environment to assess proprioception, perception of peripersonal space (PPS), and sense of embodiment (SoE) when usin g an SRA with an upper range of motion (SRA-URM) and an SRA with a lower range of motion (SRA-LRM). The results showed that proprioception was higher when using SRA-URM compared to SRA-LRM. Additionally, after the formation of SoE, both proprioception and PPS increased. These findings suggest that user sensory perception may vary depending on the workspace of the SRA, indicating the necessity of designing SRAs with consideration of their intended purpose and environment.

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