Flexible virtual fixture interface for path specification in tele-manipulation

Abstract

We present the design and implementation of a flexible force-vision-based interface; allowing local operators to visually specify a path constraint to a remote robot manipulator in an on-line fashion during the teleoperation. Using bilateral and unilateral configurations, we compare our system to direct teleoperation through user studies. Three performance metrics (smoothness, error and execution time) and a subjective evaluation (NASA TLX) were used to quantify user performance. The trials show that our system outperforms direct teleoperation and reduces cognitive load. Our findings show that the performance of a unilateral teleop configuration with visual-force constraints surpass a bilateral teleop configuration in terms of displacement error and variance, as well as allowing users to complete tasks faster and with a smoother trajectory.