Visualizing Impedance Control in Augmented Reality for Teleoperation: Design and User Evaluation

TL;DR

This paper introduces an augmented reality visualization method for impedance control in teleoperation, enhancing operator perception of contact forces and improving task efficiency in contact-rich manipulation tasks.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel AR visualization technique for impedance control targets, enabling real-time force feedback without haptic hardware, and demonstrates its effectiveness through user studies.

Findings

AR visualization reduces task completion time by 24% in force-critical tasks.

No significant impact on tasks with less force sensitivity.

Operators better perceive contact forces with AR visualization.

Abstract

Teleoperation for contact-rich manipulation remains challenging, especially when using low-cost, motion-only interfaces that provide no haptic feedback. Virtual reality controllers enable intuitive motion control but do not allow operators to directly perceive or regulate contact forces, limiting task performance. To address this, we propose an augmented reality (AR) visualization of the impedance controller's target pose and its displacement from each robot end effector. This visualization conveys the forces generated by the controller, providing operators with intuitive, real-time feedback without expensive haptic hardware. We evaluate the design in a dual-arm manipulation study with 17 participants who repeatedly reposition a box with and without the AR visualization. Results show that AR visualization reduces completion time by 24% for force-critical lifting tasks, with no significant effect on sliding tasks where precise force control is less critical. These findings indicate that making the impedance target visible through AR is a viable approach to improve human-robot interaction for contact-rich teleoperation.