Investigating the Usability of a Vibrotactile Torso Display for Improving Simulated Teleoperation Obstacle Avoidance

While unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) teleoperation is advantageous in terms of adaptability and safety, it introduces challenges resulting from the operator’s poor perception of the remote environment. Previous literature on the ability of haptic feedback to augment visual displays indicates that UGV obstacle avoidance information may be more meaningfully communicated via vibrotactile torso systems. Presenting this information so that operators can accurately detect the proximity from walls and obstructions could result in a significant reduction in errors, ultimately improving task performance and increasing the usability of teleoperation. The goal of the current study was to determine the degree to which a vibrotactile torso belt could improve UGV teleoperation performance over video feed alone in a simulated environment. Sixty operators controlled a UGV using a simulated video feed, while half also utilized a vibrotactile belt. Results indicated that the vibrotactile display did not improve navigational performance or decrease subjective workload over video feed alone. Possible reasons for this and limitations are discussed.

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