CHILD (Controller for Humanoid Imitation and Live Demonstration): a Whole-Body Humanoid Teleoperation System

Abstract-- Recent advances in teleoperation have demonstrated robots performing complex manipulation tasks. However, existing works rarely support whole-body joint-level teleoperation for humanoid robots, limiting the diversity of tasks that can be accomplished. This work presents Controller for Humanoid Imitation and Live Demonstration (CHILD), a compact reconfigurable teleoperation system that enables joint level control over humanoid robots. CHILD fits within a standard baby carrier, allowing the operator control over all four limbs, and supports both direct joint mapping for full-body control and loco-manipulation. Adaptive force feedback is incorporated to enhance operator experience and prevent unsafe joint movements. I. INTRODUCTION Teleoperation is a commonly used technique to bridge the gap between robots' current autonomous and physical capabilities. More recently, teleoperation has become a popular method to collect demonstration data for learning-based policies.