Towards Safe Human-Quadrotor Interaction: Mixed-Initiative Control via Real-Time NMPC

TitleTowards Safe Human-Quadrotor Interaction: Mixed-Initiative Control via Real-Time NMPC
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsBarros Carlos, B, Franchi, A, Oriolo, G
JournalIEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Special Issue on Shared Autonomy for Physical Human-Robot Interaction
Volume6
Pagination7611-7618
Abstract

This paper presents a novel algorithm for blending human inputs and automatic controller commands, guarantee- ing safety in mixed-initiative interactions between humans and quadrotors. The algorithm is based on nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) and involves using the state solution to assess whether safety- and/or task-related rules are met to mix control authority. The mixing is attained through the convex combination of human and actual robot costs and is driven by a continuous function that measures the rules’ violation. To achieve real-time feasibility, we rely on an efficient real-time iteration (RTI) variant of a sequential quadratic programming (SQP) scheme to cast the mixed-initiative controller. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm through numerical simulations, where a second autonomous algorithm is used to emulate the behavior of pilots with different skill levels. Simulations show that our scheme provides suitable assistance to pilots, especially novices, in a workspace with obstacles while underpinning computational efficiency.

DOI10.1109/LRA.2021.3096502
Citation Key2021j-BarFraOri
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