Preliminary Verification of Spatial Perception Support for Tele-Existence Robot Manipulation

For a general tele-existence robot (TER), it is difficult for the operator to recognize the circumstances around the TER by observing the narrow view from the camera. To overcome this difficulty, we focused on a new method that provides two-dimensional (2D) map based on a laser range finder (LRF) in addition to the camera view. Existing simple 2D map methods have not been sufficiently considered from the view point of the operator’s spatial perception; hence, in this study, a new remote manipulation system providing a real-time blurred 2D map is presented. Next, the operator’s spatial perception using the 2D map was investigated through a tele-operation experiment by changing the scan area of the LRF and the accumulated time used to make motion blur on the 2D map. The conditions employed to make the blurred 2D map were changed among nine cases combining three scan ranges and three accumulated times. The spatial perception was also investigated by analyzing distances measured by the LRF. By comparing three distance data groups using the Kruskal–Wallis test, significant differences in the minimum distance were confirmed when the scan ranges were 1, 3 and 5m (p<.001). Also, significant differences in the distance were confirmed when the accumulated times were 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5s (p<.001). Therefore, it was confirmed that the operator’s spatial perception was improved by increasing the scan range and the motion blur using the 2D map.