Research Information
ARISE: Mixed Reality Cobot Interfaces
Research Context
Robotic systems are increasingly integrated into various facets of life via working and living
environments, from industrial manufacturing to home based assistive technologies usually in
the form of collaborative robots (cobots).
However, robots often struggle with tasks that require fine manipulation, complex motions, or
adaptation to human preferences, particularly in shared environments like care home settings ,
and collaborative manufacturing environments. Robotic systems often struggle with more fine-
grained, nuanced movements and controls. Using humans to provide demonstrations, via a
Learning from Demonstration approach (LfD), provides a practical option to train robots,
enabling them to be trained to more accurately to imitate the demonstrated movements. This is
especially important in environments requiring specialist movements and tasks to be carried
out. This project will examine how best to implement an LfD approach in a human-factors
centred User Interface design for the control and training of Robots, using a mixed reality
headset. The primary focus is on developing an adaptable, intuitive, accessible, and easy-to-
use human-centred interface that will that meet the needs of users in various environments.
Moreover, the development of the interface will examine whether the design of training
systems can better accommodate diverse gender perspectives and preferences and whether
these gendered perspectives impact how users approach teaching robots tasks in mixed
reality environments. This will manifest in a gender-inclusive design approach.
The focus of the research is on human factors and user experience, incorporating
consideration of gender in the use of the mixed reality application: examining how to design
optimal UIs that minimise cognitive load, improve task understanding, and enhance user
comfort. Through immersive mixed reality interfaces, users can visualise robot behaviour,
receive real-time feedback, and refine task demonstrations, ensuring the training process is
intuitive and efficient. Mixed reality enables the system to simulate real-world environments
while maintaining the safety and flexibility of a virtual workspace, making it ideal for testing and
training robots for complex or hazardous tasks.
This research will provide substantial benefits for organisations operating in collaborative
human-robot environments by utilising mixed reality technologies to enhance the visualisation,
training, and control of diverse robotic systems and digitally enabled physical devices. By
advancing mixed reality interfaces, the project will enable seamless collaboration between
humans and machines in environments where human expertise and machine precision are
effectively integrated. Organisations across industries such as manufacturing, logistics,
healthcare, and education stand to gain from these innovations. While each of these areas
have a particular set of user needs and requirements, the project will focus on a designing and
building a modular and adaptable UI that can adapted and reorientated to suit different uses
and environments.
