Smartphone Teleoperation for Self-balancing Telepresence Robots

Abstract

<p>Self-balancing mobile platforms have recently been adopted in many applications thanks to their light-weight and slim build. However, inherent instability in their behaviour makes both manual and autonomous operation more challenging as compared to traditional self-standing platforms. In this work, we experimentally evaluate three teleoperation user interface approaches to remotely control a self-balancing telepresence platform: 1) touchscreen button user interface, 2) tilt user interface and 3) hybrid touchscreen-tilt user interface. We provide evaluation in quantitative terms based on user trajectories and recorded control data, and qualitative findings from user surveys. Both quantitative and qualitative results support our finding that the hybrid user interface (a speed slider with tilt turn) is a suitable approach for smartphone-based teleoperation of self-balancing telepresence robots. We also introduce a client-server based multi-user telepresence architecture using open source tools.</p>