Grasping Temperature: Thermal Feedback in VR Robot Teleoperation

摘要

This paper presents a proof-of-concept of a robotic teleoperation system, that provides the human operator a thermal sense in addition to the visual sense. With a sensor suite comprising a stereo camera, 360° camera and long-wave infra-red camera, our demonstrator pushes the boundaries of virtual-reality situational awareness by bringing not only 3D visual content but also a 360° thermal experience to the operator. The visual channel of our robotic teleoperation system is represented through a head-mounted-display and the thermal channel is displayed through directional heaters in the operator cockpit and a thermal glove. Initial tests showed that an operator successfully experienced a 360° remote environment, correctly distinguished between and interacted with hot and cold objects, and could notice the presence of nearby people outside her direct field-of-view, based on their emitted heat.