Abstract
Camera viewpoint has significant impact on operators situation awareness in teleoperation. This paper presents a method for automatic optimal positioning of a single camera for a remotely navigated mobile robot in systems with a controllable camera platform. The proposed algorithm continuously adjusts the camera view of the workspace based on the task circumstances, allowing the operator to focus mainly on navigation and manipulation. The workspace and motion limits of the camera system and the location of the obstacles are taken into consideration in the camera view planning by formulating and solving a constrained optimization problem in real-time. A head tracking system enables the operator to use his/her head movements as an extra control input to guide the camera placement, if and when necessary. The proposed viewpoint control framework has been implemented and evaluated in a teleoperation experiment with a mobile robot. Results of a user study comparing this approach to two other common viewpoint control strategies are also reported.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Yanco, H.A., Drury, J.: Where am I? Acquiring situation awareness using a remote robot platform. In: IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, vol. 3, pp. 28352840. IEEE (2004)
Olmos, O., Wickens, C.D., Chudy, A.: Tactical displays for combat awareness: an examination of dimensionality and frame of reference concepts and the application of cognitive engineering. Int. J. Aviat. Psychol. 10(3), 247–271 (2000)
Hollands, J., Wickens, C.: Engineering psychology and human performance. Prentice Hall, New Jersey (1999)
Chen, J.Y., Haas, E.C., Barnes, M.J.: Human performance issues and user interface design for teleoperated robots. IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Part C Appl. Rev. 37(6), 1231–1245 (2007)
Hollands, J., Lamb, M.: Viewpoint tethering for remotely operated vehicles effects on complex terrain navigation and spatial awareness. Hum. Factors: J. Hum. Factors Ergon. Soc. 53(2), 154–167 (2011)
Ricks, B., Nielsen, C.W., Goodrich, M.A.: Ecological displays for robot interaction: a new perspective. In: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems 2004, (IROS 2004), vol. 3, 2855–2860. IEEE (2004)
Keyes, B., Casey, R., Yanco, H.A., Maxwell, B.A., Georgiev, Y.: Camera placement and multi-camera fusion for remote robot operation. In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Workshop on Safety, Security and Rescue Robotics, pp. 22–24 (2006)
Scholtz, J., Young, J., Drury, J., Yanco, H.: Evaluation of human-robot interaction awareness in search and rescue. In: IEEE International Conference on Robotics Automation, vol. 3, pp. 2327–2332. 1 April- May (2004)
Hughes, S.B., Lewis, M.: Task-driven camera operations for robotic exploration. IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Syst. Hum. 35(4), 513–522 (2005)
Wang, S., Xiong, X., Xu, Y., Wang, C., Zhang, W., Dai, X., Zhang, D.: Face-tracking as an augmented input in video games: enhancing presence, role-playing and control. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1097–1106. ACM (2006)
Martins, H., Ventura, R.: Immersive 3-D teleoperation of a search and rescue robot using a head-mounted display. In IEEE Conference on Emerging Technologies & Factory Automation, ETFA 2009, pp. 18. IEEE (2009)
Fournier, J., Mokhtari, M., Ricard, B.: Immersive virtual environment for mobile platform remote operation and exploration. In: IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensors Environments (ROSE), pp. 37–42, IEEE (2011)
Zhu, D., Gedeon, T., Taylor, K.: Exploring camera viewpoint control models for a multi-tasking setting in teleoperation. In: Proceedings of the 2011 Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 53–62, ACM (2011)
Hayhoe, M., Ballard, D.: Eye movements in natural behavior. Trends Cogn. Sci. 9(4), 188–194 (2005)
Johansson, R., Westling, G., Bäckström, A., Flanagan, J.: Eye–hand coordination in object manipulation. J. Neurosci. 21(17), 6917–6932 (2001)
Murphy, R.R., Casper, J., Micire, M., Hyams, J.: Mixed-initiative control of multiple heterogeneous robots for urban search and rescue. Tech. Rep., Univ. South Florida (2000)
Shiroma, N., Kobayashi, J., Oyama, E.: Compact image stabilization system for small-sized humanoid. In: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics ROBIO 2008, pp. 149–154 (2009)
Jin, J., Zhu, Z., Xu, G.: A stable vision system for moving vehicles. IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst. 1(1), 32–39 (2000)
Hsu, S.C., Liang, S.F., Fan, K.W., Lin, C.T.: A robust in-car digital image stabilization technique. IEEE Trans. Cybern. 37(2), 234–247 (2007)
De Boor, C.: Practical guide to splines. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg (1978)
Held, M.: ERIT a collection of efficient and reliable intersection tests. J. Graph. Tools 2(4), 25–44 (1997)
Malysz, P.: A kinematic control framework for asymmetric semi-autonomous teleoperation systems. McMaster University, PhD thesis (2011)
Malysz, P., Sirouspour, S.: A kinematic control framework for single-slave asymmetric teleoperation systems. IEEE Trans. Robot. 27(5), 901–917 (2011)
Howell, D.C.: Fundamental statistics for the behavioral sciences. Brooks/Cole, 5th edn. (2004)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rahnamaei, S., Sirouspour, S. Automatic Viewpoint Planning in Teleoperation of a Mobile Robot. J Intell Robot Syst 76, 443–460 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-014-0028-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-014-0028-7