In this paper, we present a novel interface for teleoperating ground vehicles. Obstacle avoidance with ground vehicles demands a high level of operator attention, typically distracting from the primary mission. The Ambient Obstacle Avoidance (AOA) was designed to allow operators to effectively perform a primary task, such as search, while still effectively avoiding obstacles. The AOA wraps around a standard video interface and provides range information without requiring a separate screen. AOA combines and reduces different data streams into proportionately scaled symbology that directly shows important relationships between vehicle width, vehicle orientation and obstacles in the environment. The use of the AOA interface was tested in both simulation and on physical robots. Results from both tests show an improvement in obstacle avoidance during navigation with the AOA. In addition, results from the simulation test indicate that operators using AOA were able to leverage ambient vision such that the primary visual task was not impeded.

This paper describes 2 methods of controlling unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) using stylus. The first method called StyROC (Stylus Robot Overlay Control) involves tele-operation of the robot with the controls superimposed on a UGV local map which is a vehicle-centric map that shows the obstacles around the robot. The second method is called StyRAC (Stylus Robot Arm Control) which allows the operator to control the arm of the robot using the stylus as well. A purely stylus-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) was designed to allow the control of robots via semi-autonomous or tele-operation mode. It also allows the operator to control the robotic arm on the unmanned robot. A two phase User Centred Design (USD) process was adopted in developing the interface. In the first phase, Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) was conducted to elicit information on the challenges faced by the operators of the robots. In the second phase, the design was validated and refined through experiments. A total of 2 usability studies, 1 paper prototype evaluation and 1 heuristic evaluation were conducted to evaluate the interface. Results indicated that participants found the interface intuitive and easy to learn. There was significantly higher workload when operators where controlling 2 robots but there were no significant differences in terms of time taken to complete tasks. Issues such as the level of technology and trust in automation were issues that were brought up in the study.

This study explores 4 different interaction methods of tele-operating a single unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) on a small screen interface. An experiment involving 20 participants carrying out a navigational task was conducted. Performance measures such as task completion time, number of errors made and workload ratings were considered and analyzed.

This study involves the design and evaluation of control methods for a touch screen device to enable effective navigation for UGVs (Unmanned Ground Vehicles). 6 different control methods were designed and evaluated. An experiment was conducted requiring participants to conduct navigational tasks. Analysis considers number of errors committed, task completion time and user preference.