Global-Local Interface for On-Demand Teleoperation

TL;DR

This paper introduces the Global-Local (G-L) Teleoperation Interface that combines global behavior for range and intuitiveness with local behavior for dexterity, enabling versatile and precise robot control in various tasks.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel G-L interface that decouples teleoperation into global and local behaviors, improving flexibility, precision, and user experience in robotic control.

Findings

Validated user-friendliness and accuracy through extensive experiments.

Demonstrated effectiveness in tasks requiring large motions and fine manipulation.

Applicable to single-arm and dual-arm teleoperation systems.

Abstract

Teleoperation is a critical method for human-robot interface, holds significant potential for enabling robotic applications in industrial and unstructured environments. Existing teleoperation methods have distinct strengths and limitations in flexibility, range of workspace and precision. To fuse these advantages, we introduce the Global-Local (G-L) Teleoperation Interface. This interface decouples robotic teleoperation into global behavior, which ensures the robot motion range and intuitiveness, and local behavior, which enhances human operator's dexterity and capability for performing fine tasks. The G-L interface enables efficient teleoperation not only for conventional tasks like pick-and-place, but also for challenging fine manipulation and large-scale movements. Based on the G-L interface, we constructed a single-arm and a dual-arm teleoperation system with different remote control devices, then demonstrated tasks requiring large motion range, precise manipulation or dexterous end-effector control. Extensive experiments validated the user-friendliness, accuracy, and generalizability of the proposed interface.