Contribution of neuroscience to the teleoperation of rehabilitation robot

Yves Rybarczyk, Etienne Colle, Philippe Hoppenot
CEMIF-Complex System Group, 40, rue du Pelvoux 91020 Evry Cedex, France
yrybarc@cemif.univ-evry.fr

The initial focus of this paper is on the relationship between the human factor and the machine. To be more precise, it is a study on the cognitive problems involved when an operator carries out a remote control action on the environment. Subsequently, the article will proceed to examine how studies on the behavioural neuroscience can bridge the existing gap between the humans and the machines. This gap is categorised as "disembodiment".
In the course of our research, the reduction of the disembodiment was studied in two way. Firstly, from the robot to the human, by evaluating how the implementation of human-like behaviour of the visual anticipation on the steering can improve the robot control. Secondly, the study focused on the human-robot sense, by testing if we can observe appropriation signs of the machine in the body schema of the operator. All the results are discussed in terms of pertinence of the neuroscientific approach for the conception of physical and functional architecture of a teleoperated robot of rehabilitation.

Keywords : behavioural neuroscience, rehabilitation robotics, remote-control.