Shared Autonomy for Robotic Prosthesis

We developed a “third arm” robotic prosthesis with a first application for drumming, but with further uses for general assistance. In particular, we want to design a robotic arm that is partially controlled by the user and partially autonomous. This poses new design challenges for wearable robotics, as well as new challenges for collaborative AI.

In collaboration with the Georgia Tech GTCMT, we worked on a series of robotic drumming prostheses. The first one was built for drummer Jason Barnes who lost his hand in an accident, including two separately actuated drumming sticks. We are now developing a “third arm” version for able-bodied drummers, which will be a research platform for shared autonomy control.

We have some design sketches below. The videos above feature Barnes’ prothesis, an elbow attachment prototype, and a forearm attachment prototype.