Evaluation of Remote Crane Operation with an Intuitive Tablet Interface and Boom Tip Control

Remote crane operation has been a subject of research for several years. So far, there is a lack of intuitive human-machine interfaces that resolve present incompatibilities between operator orientation, the crane’s joint movements, and the resulting load movement. This results in poor interface quality and thus in unnecessary time losses, errors, and mental stress. To overcome this gap, an intuitive app interface is developed and applied on a loader crane with boom tip control. An evaluation study with 56 test persons in two experience groups is used to assess the interface’s usability in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. Results show that the human-machine interface presented here reduces errors and increases the operator’s satisfaction in both user groups. Furthermore, unexperienced crane operators in particular profit from better load placement accuracy and greater time efficiency. The intuitive app-based human-machine interface can therefore improve remote crane operation significantly.