Implémentation de mécanismes d'anticipation visuo-motrice en téléopération

Abstract

A major issue in teleoperation is to try to reduce the gap that exists between the functioning of the human operator and that of the machine. The bionic approach, which consists of giving human properties to robots, is effectively a means of reducing the natural differences between the modes of functioning of these two entities, biological and mechanical. In the experimental study presented here, we implemented the visuo-motor anticipatory behaviour observed in locomoting humans using a teleoperated mobile robot. The ecological validity of such an implementation was empirically tested using a slalom route task, with independent experimental groups: The first one piloting a robot equipped with a camera that visually anticipated movement and the other one piloting a robot with a fixed camera. This « human-like » behaviour was also implemented using two different coupling modes. In the first mode, the orientation of the camera (on board the robot) was dependant on the direction of displacement of the robot, the operator controlling the latter (base mode). In the second mode, the direction of displacement was defined by the orientation of the camera, which was manipulated by the operator (camera mode). Experimental results show: 1 / that the operator is more efficient and seems much more at ease when a visuo-motor anticipatory scheme is implemented on the teleoperated device and 2 / that this effect is more pronounced in the camera mode. These results suggest that there is a case for introducing sensori-motor anticipatory « human-like » behaviour into artificial partially-automated teleoperated systems.