A Neurointerface is a trainable filter based on neural networks that serves as a coupler between a human operator and a nonlinear system or plant that is to be controlled or directed. The purpose of the coupler is to ease the task of the human controller. The Neurointerface can be adapted to be an inverse or an approximate inverse of the plant. The Neurointerface can be adapted so that when it is cascaded with the plant, the overall plant response closely approximates the human command input. In this way, it is easy for the human operator to direct the response of the plant. A Neurointerface and a plant disturbance canceller have been applied to the steering system of a truck and trailer(s). The Neurointerface is used only while the truck is backing. Backing a truck with two or more trailers is essentially impossible for a professional truck driver, but is easily done by an unskilled driver when using the Neurointerface. Neurointerface designs are presented for human control of construction cranes and multi-jointed robot arms. The same principles can be applied to ease human control of other complex machines such as aircraft, helicopters, heavy earth moving equipment, and so forth. Obstacle avoidance can also be done with Neurointerface control.
Neurointerface for human control of complex machinery