Teleoperation Method by Illusion of Human Intention and Time

Abstract

Shared control, in which teleoperation and autonomous control are combined to move the robot, is expected to improve the efficiency of the user teleoperation problem. However, a problem exists whereby the user acceptance decreases owing to the conflict of intention between the teleoperation and autonomous control. In this study, we address this problem by providing an illusion to humans. We propose a teleoperation method named the “Illusory Control” that can achieve both mobility efficiency and user acceptance by implementing a cyber-physical system that controls a robot in real space through robot operations in virtual space. Illusory Control has two functions: the “Illusion of Intention,” which provides the illusion that the robot is operating according to human intention, and “Illusion of Time,” which provides the illusion of time to fill the gap by changing human behavior when the robot positions in the virtual space and real space diverge. Preliminary teleoperation experiments with subjects demonstrated that the system improves the operational efficiency and acceptance of the system compared to conventional teleoperation methods, namely direct teleoperation and shared control.