Dual-arm Motion Generation for Repositioning Care based on Deep Predictive Learning with Somatosensory Attention Mechanism

Caregiving is a vital role for domestic robots, especially the repositioning care has immense societal value, critically improving the health and quality of life of individuals with limited mobility. However, repositioning task is a challenging area of research, as it requires robots to adapt their motions while interacting flexibly with patients. The task involves several key challenges: (1) applying appropriate force to specific target areas; (2) performing multiple actions seamlessly, each requiring different force application policies; and (3) motion adaptation under uncertain positional conditions. To address these, we propose a deep neural network (DNN)-based architecture utilizing proprioceptive and visual attention mechanisms, along with impedance control to regulate the robot's movements. Using the dual-arm humanoid robot Dry-AIREC, the proposed model successfully generated motions to insert the robot's hand between the bed and a mannequin's back without applying excessive force, and it supported the transition from a supine to a lifted-up position. The project page is here: https://sites.google.com/view/caregiving-robot-airec/repositioning