Conveying Surroundings Information of a Robot End-Effector by Adjusting Controller Button Stiffness

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel haptic feedback system for robot teleoperation that uses adaptive trigger stiffness to convey surroundings information, improving operator awareness and safety with minimal hardware and computational complexity.

Contribution

The study presents a new method of conveying spatial proximity in teleoperation by adjusting controller button stiffness based on virtual overlap, independent of user intent or robot speed.

Findings

Reduces collision risk in teleoperation tasks.

Enhances operator situational awareness and control.

Operates efficiently with minimal processing requirements.

Abstract

This study addresses the challenge of low dexterity in teleoperation tasks caused by limited sensory feedback and visual occlusion. We propose a novel approach that integrates haptic feedback into teleoperation using the adaptive triggers of a commercially available DualSense controller. By adjusting button stiffness based on the proximity of objects to the robot's end effector, the system provides intuitive, real-time feedback to the operator. To achieve this, the effective volume of the end effector is virtually expanded, allowing the system to predict interactions by calculating overlap with nearby objects. This predictive capability is independent of the user's intent or the robot's speed, enhancing the operator's situational awareness without requiring complex pre-programmed behaviors. The stiffness of the adaptive triggers is adjusted in proportion to this overlapping volume, effectively conveying spatial proximity and movement cues through an "one degree of freedom" haptic feedback mechanism. Compared to existing solutions, this method reduces hardware requirements and computational complexity by using a geometric simplification approach, enabling efficient operation with minimal processing demands. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed system reduces collision risk and improves user performance, offering an intuitive, precise, and safe teleoperation experience despite real-world uncertainties and communication delays.