Human-Robot Interface Apparatuses and Methods of Controlling Robots

A human-robot interface apparatus comprising:

• a processor;
• a wireless communications module, wherein the wireless communications module is in two-way wireless communication with a robot, the robot comprising two video cameras, a multi-fingered manipulator, and a locomotion base;
• a computer readable memory comprising an object recognition support tool library, an action support tool library, and a set of tangibly embodied executable instructions, wherein registered object shape patterns corresponding to a plurality of registered objects are stored in the object recognition support tool library, and object manipulation patterns corresponding to object manipulations of the plurality of registered objects are stored in the action support tool library;
• and
• a display interface for displaying a two-dimensional image provided by the two video cameras, a visual representation of the object recognition support tool library, and a visual representation of the action support tool library,
• wherein the set of executable instructions, when executed by the processor, causes the human-robot interface apparatus to:
• receive selected object data corresponding to a selected object image displayed within the two-dimensional image presented on the display interface, wherein the selected object image represents a target object;
• automatically recognize a registered object shape pattern corresponding to the selected object data and the selected object image based at least in part on the plurality of registered objects stored in the object recognition support tool library;
• receive an object manipulation pattern selected from the action support tool library;
• and
• wirelessly instruct the robot via the wireless communications module to automatically approach the target object corresponding to the selected object image using the locomotion base, and to perform an object manipulation on the target object using the multi-fingered manipulator based at least in part on the selected object manipulation pattern.

A human-robot interface apparatus comprising:

• a wireless communications module, wherein the wireless communications module is in two-way wireless communication with a robot, the robot comprising two video cameras, a multi-fingered manipulator, and a locomotion base;
• a computer readable memory comprising an object recognition support tool library and an action support tool library, wherein registered object shape patterns corresponding to a plurality of registered objects are stored in the object recognition support tool library, and object manipulation patterns corresponding to object manipulations of the plurality of registered objects are stored in the action support tool library;
• and
• a display interface for displaying a two-dimensional image provided by the two video cameras, a visual representation of the object recognition support tool library, and a visual representation of the action support tool library,
• wherein the human-robot interface apparatus is programmed to:
• automatically recognize a registered object shape pattern corresponding to a selected object image using a feature-based matching algorithm, the selected object image being selected from the two-dimensional image and representing a target object;
• register an object shape pattern associated with the target object if a registered object shape pattern corresponding to the selected object image is not automatically recognized by receiving a selected shape from a plurality of shapes displayed in the visual representation of the object recognition support tool library, the selected shape being most similar to a shape of the target object;
• and
• wirelessly transmit control signals to the robot via the wireless communications module to perform an object manipulation on the target object using the multi-fingered manipulator based at least in part on a selected object manipulation pattern selected from the visual representation of the action support tool library.