Tele-operated robot control using attitude aware smartphones

Abstract

Smartphones have put video communications, computation, and proprioceptive sensing (e.g. accelerometers and gyros) into the hands of hundreds of millions of consumers. These small, microelectromechanical systems can be used in many applications, including remote control. This study proposes using smartphones with proprioception as handheld robot controllers and aims to determine feasibility of accelerometers as control inputs for tele-operation while defining heuristics for use. Initial results indicate accelerometers are suitable for tele-operation commands, but identify specific design characteristics meriting further investigation.