A human-robot interface for a mobile robot was extended to include a discrete geodesic dome called a Sensory EgoSphere (SES) The SES is a two-dimensional data structure, centered on the robot's coordinate frame. The SES provides the robot's perspective of a remote environment via images, sonar, and laser range finder representations. It was proposed that the SES would enhance the general interface usability by decreasing perceived workload and increasing situational awareness. A human factors evaluation was performed to evaluate the established hypothesis. Novice users participated in the evaluation. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the evaluation results.

Shows how a Sensory EgoSphere (SES), a robot-centric geodesic dome that represents the short term memory of a mobile robot, could enhance a human-robot interface. It is proposed that the addition of this visual representation of the sensor data on a mobile robot enhances the effectiveness of a human-robot interface. The SES migrates information presentation to the user from the sensing level to the perception level. The composition of the vision with other sensors on the SES surrounding the robot gives clarity and ease of interpretation. It enables the user to better visualize the present circumstances of the robot. The human-robot interface (HRI) will be implemented through a graphical user interface (GUI) which contains the SES, command prompt, compass, environment map, sonar and laser display. This paper proposes that the SES increases situational awareness and allows the human supervisor to accurately ascertain the present perception (sensory input) of the robot and use this information to assist the robot in getting out of difficult situations.