This paper deals with physical modeling of human hand–eye coordinated movement for applications in time-motion study of pick-and-place operations. Time-motion studies typically use experimentations to closely examine each segment of a worker's pick-and-place movements in order to design a more optimized operation. This paper presents two different methods that can replace the need for experimentation or estimation in the time motion process with control-theoretic models. The first method is a control-theoretic physical model of the human hand–eye coordinated movement in performing a pick-and-place operation. It is based on an extension of control theoretic models of airplane pilots. The second method combines two existing techniques developed in the literature for different purposes. It is shown in this paper that the combination of these two existing methods provides for an alternative approach that can be used for time-motion studies related to the human pick-and-place operation. Using simple experimentation, it is shown that both methods provide reasonable model-based representation of time motion studies for pick-and-place tasks. In developing the physical model, a method based on the use of the quantitative feedback theory (QFT) is also developed for tuning the physical model that can be utilized in making the model specific to different applications involving human hand–eye coordinated movements. Furthermore, the physical model is applied in a predictive fashion and it is shown that it can successfully estimate the movement time for manual pick-and-place tasks found in some industrial applications.
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April 2017
Research-Article
A Control-Theoretic Model for Human Time-Motion Evaluation in Pick-and-Place Operations
Chao Wang,
Chao Wang
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: cwwang@ucdavis.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: cwwang@ucdavis.edu
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Bahram Ravani,
Bahram Ravani
Professor
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: bravani@ucdavis.edu
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: bravani@ucdavis.edu
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Ronald A. Hess
Ronald A. Hess
Professor
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: rahess@ucdavis.edu
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: rahess@ucdavis.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Chao Wang
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: cwwang@ucdavis.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: cwwang@ucdavis.edu
Bahram Ravani
Professor
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: bravani@ucdavis.edu
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: bravani@ucdavis.edu
Ronald A. Hess
Professor
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: rahess@ucdavis.edu
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California—Davis,
Davis, CA 95616
e-mail: rahess@ucdavis.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Dynamic Systems Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS, MEASUREMENT, AND CONTROL. Manuscript received February 19, 2016; final manuscript received October 21, 2016; published online February 9, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Tesheng Hsiao.
J. Dyn. Sys., Meas., Control. Apr 2017, 139(4): 041009 (13 pages)
Published Online: February 9, 2017
Article history
Received:
February 19, 2016
Revised:
October 21, 2016
Citation
Wang, C., Ravani, B., and Hess, R. A. (February 9, 2017). "A Control-Theoretic Model for Human Time-Motion Evaluation in Pick-and-Place Operations." ASME. J. Dyn. Sys., Meas., Control. April 2017; 139(4): 041009. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4035095
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