This thesis explores human motor control as it relates to constrained and unconstrained positioning ability, with particular application to the control of vocational assistive robots. Constrained positioning is used when controlling an entity moving at a constant rate of motion to stop at a desired position.
This control approach is commonly used in disability applications where adaptive devices, such as switches, are used to start and stop the movement of a screen cursor or a robotic aid moving at a constant velocity. A simple model is provided that relates human positioning ability in constrained positioning tasks to a measure of skill related to timing.
Unconstrained motions involve free movements to a location. A stochastic motor control model is provided that describes human speed and accuracy limitations in free motions to targets of varying sizes and travel distances.
In addition, the design and construction of the Interactive Robotic Visual Inspection System (IRVIS) is presented as a result of exploration of potential vocational robotic applications in industrial quality assurance jobs. A detailed taxonomy of rehabilitation robotic systems is provided as an appendix.