Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of vision-based teleoperation of a mobile robot

Abstract

This paper analyzes how performance of a basic teleoperation task are influenced by the viewpoint of the video feedback, using a remote mobile robot. Specifically, the viewpoint is varied in terms of height and tilt and the influence on a basic task, such as following some pre-defined paths, is analyzed. The operators are able to control one motor degree of freedom and up to two perceptive degrees of freedom. It is shown that performance vary depending both on the viewpoint and on the amount of perceptive freedom; in particular, the chosen metrics give better results when more perspective and, surprisingly, a more constrained perception is deployed. Furthermore, the contrast between the actual performance and the performance perceived by the operators is shown, which allows to discuss about the need of quantitative approaches in measuring the efficiency of a teleoperation task. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.