MetaArms: Body Remapping Using Feet-Controlled Artificial Arms

We introduce MetaArms, wearable anthropomorphic robotic arms and hands with six degrees of freedom operated by the user’s legs and feet. Our overall research goal is to re-imagine what our bodies can do with the aid of wearable robotics using a body-remapping approach. To this end, we present an initial exploratory case study. MetaArms’ two robotic arms are controlled by the user’s feet motion, and the robotic hands can grip objects according to the user’s toes bending. Haptic feedback is also presented on the user’s feet that correlate with the touched objects on the robotic hands, creating a closed-loop system. We present formal and informal evaluations of the system, the former using a 2D pointing task according to Fitts’ Law. The overall throughput for 12 users of the system is reported as 1.01 bits/s (std 0.39). We also present informal feedback from over 230 users. We find that MetaArms demonstrate the feasibility of body-remapping approach in designing robotic limbs that may help us re-imagine what the human body could do.