Proactive robot task sequencing through real-time hand motion prediction in human–robot collaboration

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Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2025-03

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Mcode

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Language

en

Pages

11

Series

Image and Vision Computing, Volume 155

Abstract

Human–robot collaboration (HRC) is essential for improving productivity and safety across various industries. While reactive motion re-planning strategies are useful, there is a growing demand for proactive methods that predict human intentions to enable more efficient collaboration. This study addresses this need by introducing a framework that combines deep learning-based human hand trajectory forecasting with heuristic optimization for robotic task sequencing. The deep learning model advances real-time hand position forecasting using a multi-task learning loss to account for both hand positions and contact delay regression, achieving state-of-the-art performance on the Ego4D Future Hand Prediction benchmark. By integrating hand trajectory predictions into task planning, the framework offers a cohesive solution for HRC. To optimize task sequencing, the framework incorporates a Dynamic Variable Neighborhood Search (DynamicVNS) heuristic algorithm, which allows robots to pre-plan task sequences and avoid potential collisions with human hand positions. DynamicVNS provides significant computational advantages over the generalized VNS method. The framework was validated on a UR10e robot performing a visual inspection task in a HRC scenario, where the robot effectively anticipated and responded to human hand movements in a shared workspace. Experimental results highlight the system's effectiveness and potential to enhance HRC in industrial settings by combining predictive accuracy and task planning efficiency.

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Publisher Copyright: © 2025

Keywords

Egocentric vision, Human–robot collaboration

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Citation

Abilkassov, S, Gentner, M, Shintemirov, A, Steinbach, E & Popa, M 2025, ' Proactive robot task sequencing through real-time hand motion prediction in human–robot collaboration ', Image and Vision Computing, vol. 155, 105443 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imavis.2025.105443