In-Device Feedback in Immersive Head-Mounted Displays for Distance Perception During Teleoperation of Unmanned Ground Vehicles

TL;DR

This paper introduces in-device vibro-tactile and visual feedback mechanisms in VR headsets to improve distance perception during remote control of unmanned ground vehicles, enhancing performance and usability.

Contribution

It proposes a novel in-device feedback approach using vibro-tactile and visual cues to improve obstacle distance perception in VR-based UGV teleoperation.

Findings

Significantly improved task performance with feedback

Reduced workload and increased usability

Effective support for distance perception in UGV control

Abstract

In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) Head-Mounted Displays (HMD) have been used to provide an immersive, first-person view in real-time for the remote-control of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV). One critical issue is that it is challenging to perceive the distance of obstacles surrounding the vehicle from 2D views in the HMD, which deteriorates the control of UGV. Conventional distance indicators used in HMD take up screen space which leads clutter on the display and can further reduce situation awareness of the physical environment. To address the issue, in this paper we propose off-screen in-device feedback using vibro-tactile and/or light-visual cues to provide real-time distance information for the remote control of UGV. Results from a study show a significantly better performance with either feedback type, reduced workload and improved usability in a driving task that requires continuous perception of the distance between the UGV and its environmental objects or obstacles. Our findings show a solid case for in-device vibro-tactile and/or light-visual feedback to support remote operation of UGVs that highly relies on distance perception of objects.