Simulating Safe Bite Transfer in Robot-Assisted Feeding with a Soft Head and Articulated Jaw

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: San, Yi Heng, Ravichandram, Vasanthamaran, Yow, J-Anne, Chan, Sherwin Stephen, Wang, Yifan, Ang, Wei Tech
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author San, Yi Heng
Ravichandram, Vasanthamaran
Yow, J-Anne
Chan, Sherwin Stephen
Wang, Yifan
Ang, Wei Tech
author_facet San, Yi Heng
Ravichandram, Vasanthamaran
Yow, J-Anne
Chan, Sherwin Stephen
Wang, Yifan
Ang, Wei Tech
contents Ensuring safe and comfortable bite transfer during robot-assisted feeding is challenging due to the close physical human-robot interaction required. This paper presents a novel approach to modeling physical human-robot interaction in a physics-based simulator (MuJoCo) using soft-body dynamics. We integrate a flexible head model with a rigid skeleton while accounting for internal dynamics, enabling the flexible model to be actuated by the skeleton. Incorporating realistic soft-skin contact dynamics in simulation allows for systematically evaluating bite transfer parameters, such as insertion depth and entry angle, and their impact on user safety and comfort. Our findings suggest that a straight-in-straight-out strategy minimizes forces and enhances user comfort in robot-assisted feeding, assuming a static head. This simulation-based approach offers a safer and more controlled alternative to real-world experimentation. Supplementary videos can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/224yh2kx.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_18749
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Simulating Safe Bite Transfer in Robot-Assisted Feeding with a Soft Head and Articulated Jaw
San, Yi Heng
Ravichandram, Vasanthamaran
Yow, J-Anne
Chan, Sherwin Stephen
Wang, Yifan
Ang, Wei Tech
Robotics
Ensuring safe and comfortable bite transfer during robot-assisted feeding is challenging due to the close physical human-robot interaction required. This paper presents a novel approach to modeling physical human-robot interaction in a physics-based simulator (MuJoCo) using soft-body dynamics. We integrate a flexible head model with a rigid skeleton while accounting for internal dynamics, enabling the flexible model to be actuated by the skeleton. Incorporating realistic soft-skin contact dynamics in simulation allows for systematically evaluating bite transfer parameters, such as insertion depth and entry angle, and their impact on user safety and comfort. Our findings suggest that a straight-in-straight-out strategy minimizes forces and enhances user comfort in robot-assisted feeding, assuming a static head. This simulation-based approach offers a safer and more controlled alternative to real-world experimentation. Supplementary videos can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/224yh2kx.
title Simulating Safe Bite Transfer in Robot-Assisted Feeding with a Soft Head and Articulated Jaw
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.18749