Multimodal Human-Machine Interfaces for Morphing Computerized Mats with Embodied Sensing and Artificial Intelligence

The MOZART project aims to advance the state of the art in robotic handling and
manipulation of soft and heterogeneous objects. Its
approach is a radical
departure from existing technologies as it develops a new concept based on
deformable manipulation surfaces
supported by AI-powered control and learning
tools. While the running project primarily addresses the development of hardware
and
control algorithms, human-machine interaction is less explored. The role
of the new partner - Brno University of Technology, Czechia
(BUT), in the
proposed project extension is mainly to research the field of Human-Machine
Interaction (HMI), explicitly identifying user
roles, needs, and necessary
interface types, iteratively developing prototypes, and performing evaluation.
Usability testing will be
carried out in multiple stages of development,
including aspects of the social science perspective (with the help of SSH
research
experts from partner TCD), to assess the system's natural fit with
diverse operators. Various input and output modalities and their
combinations
will be evaluated, including the manipulation surface itself and augmented and
virtual reality. Machine learning may be
used to achieve the adaptivity of the
interface. Various types of interfaces that will be developed will be backed up
by a cloudenabled
server, acting as a data platform, enabling data sharing
between users and offloading computationally intensive tasks. BUT
aims to
contribute to MOZART's goal of automating the food industry by designing
effective user interfaces that enhance system
acceptance, leveraging the
team's extensive experience in this field.