Abstract
Improvements in human-robot physical interaction (pHRI) can have major implications for physical therapy, search and rescue, and telemedicine. However, a major challenge concerns human constraints and safety in human-robot physical experiments. Concerns about human studies also include repeatability, scalability, and participant diversity. To conduct such experiments, an IRB and willing human participants are required. In this work, we present an improved phantom device, a physical twin, that enables real-world RL-type testing for physically interactive algorithms. The new device not only replicates the ball-and-socket motion of the shoulder but also renders scapular and protraction/retraction motions. The experiments showcase the device's ability to render multiple 3D joint limits and demonstrate a Franka Panda arm sensing limits and interacting with the device as an arm for ADLs (activities of daily living) and pHRI tasks.
Keywords
Publication details
- Journal
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- Open access
- Green open access
Cite this article
APA 7
Peiros, E., Chen, D., Yager, L., Lee, E., Wang, K., Samuels, Z., & Yip, M. C. (2026). Physical Twins: Accelerating and Enabling Robot Learning with Phantom Platforms. https://omanscience.com/en/articles/physical-twins-accelerating-and-enabling-robot-learning-with-phantom-platforms
MLA 9
Peiros, Elizabeth, et al. "Physical Twins: Accelerating and Enabling Robot Learning with Phantom Platforms." https://omanscience.com/en/articles/physical-twins-accelerating-and-enabling-robot-learning-with-phantom-platforms.
Chicago (author–date)
Peiros, Elizabeth, Derek Chen, Lucas Yager, Edward Lee, Kevin Wang, Zoe Samuels, and Michael C. Yip. 2026. "Physical Twins: Accelerating and Enabling Robot Learning with Phantom Platforms." https://omanscience.com/en/articles/physical-twins-accelerating-and-enabling-robot-learning-with-phantom-platforms.
Harvard
Peiros, E., Chen, D., Yager, L., Lee, E., Wang, K., Samuels, Z. and Yip, M. C. (2026) 'Physical Twins: Accelerating and Enabling Robot Learning with Phantom Platforms', Available at: https://omanscience.com/en/articles/physical-twins-accelerating-and-enabling-robot-learning-with-phantom-platforms.
Vancouver
Peiros E, Chen D, Yager L, Lee E, Wang K, Samuels Z, et al. Physical Twins: Accelerating and Enabling Robot Learning with Phantom Platforms. https://omanscience.com/en/articles/physical-twins-accelerating-and-enabling-robot-learning-with-phantom-platforms
IEEE
E. Peiros, D. Chen, L. Yager, E. Lee, K. Wang, Z. Samuels, and M. C. Yip, "Physical Twins: Accelerating and Enabling Robot Learning with Phantom Platforms," https://omanscience.com/en/articles/physical-twins-accelerating-and-enabling-robot-learning-with-phantom-platforms.