Intuitive Visual Feedback in Virtual Reality for the Teleoperation of Robots

Although the benefits of teleoperation are well known, the current implementations require high levels of skill which exclude the average user. One of the difficulties is the delay between sending a command and the movement of the robot which can impact an operator’s ability to safely, and effectively perform tasks. Furthermore, the rejection of commands due to unattainable goals (e.g. outside the robot’s joint limits) can leave the operator confused and frustrated. Advancements in research, such as the use of virtual reality (VR) and inverse kinematic techniques are steadily making robot control more feasible for everyday users, but there is still a lack of understanding of what the robot can or cannot do based on its limits and environment. A benefit of VR over other display methods is the ability to customise the immersive environment that the robot is in. In this paper we take advantage of that benefit to create three visual feedback techniques which give the user information on their commands. A user study was conducted comparing our techniques. The results show that higher levels of visual feedback result in quicker task completion times, lower mental workload and a better user experience.