An interactive robot control environment for rehabilitation applications

Interactive robot systems are under active investigation as aids for people with impaired manipulating ability. Under the direction of a disabled operator, a robot can manipulate objects, thereby increasing the independence of the operator in home, school and work activities. This paper describes a high-level control language CURL developed to facilitate communication between a disabled operator and the task environment. CURL is a Windows-based application. Interactive robotics requires a different approach from mainstream robotics where humans are kept out of the robot's work area.