Evaluation of an enhanced human-robot interface

A human-robot interface for a mobile robot was extended to include a discrete geodesic dome called a Sensory EgoSphere (SES) The SES is a two-dimensional data structure, centered on the robot's coordinate frame. The SES provides the robot's perspective of a remote environment via images, sonar, and laser range finder representations. It was proposed that the SES would enhance the general interface usability by decreasing perceived workload and increasing situational awareness. A human factors evaluation was performed to evaluate the established hypothesis. Novice users participated in the evaluation. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the evaluation results.