Interaction between humans and machines, particularly safe interaction, is a critical aspect of robotic technology development. In the I2T group the strategic aim is the development of high fidelity user interfaces for telepresence - teleoperational that can rival the human hand in terms of manipulating dexterity.

The sense of touch is crucial in any kind of tele/virtual training or teleoperation procedures as these actions require the user to extensively engage his hand and fingers. In the recent years the rapid improvements in hardware and software to provide effective force/touch feedback has led to the development of generic haptic devices that have been applied in various multimodal systems ranging from training simulators, to teleoperation and VR environments.
The integration and the mode of interacting of the various input and feedback cues in those multi-modal environments is a fundamental area of research. How the user reacts, in behaviour, physiologically and physically, are key points for the evaluation of the level of engagement. The current research within the area of interaction encompasses;

• The development of hardware systems and software techniques for the simultaneous display of cutaneous and kineathesic experiences eg Tactile sensing and feedback, high precision tracking,.
• the development of multimodal telepresence, virtual presence and haptic interaction paradigms,
• the application of these technologies in human computer interactions and human centred robotics and the key psycho-physical testing of the experiences created.
• Human Force Augmentation Exoskeletons for Lower Body, Arm, Hand.
• High Fidelity Tracking Systems

Projects