VR haptic interfaces for teleoperation: an evaluation study

We present the results of an evaluation study in the framework of user interfaces for teleoperation of vehicles. We developed a virtual cockpit with haptic feedback provided by a Haptic Workstation/spl trade/. Four alternative teleoperation interfaces were implemented. Each interface exploits different aspects of virtual reality and haptic technologies: realistic 3D virtual objects, haptic force-feedback, free arm gestures. A series of tests with multiple users were conducted in order to evaluate and identify the best interface in terms of efficiency and subjective user appreciation. This study provides insights on how to take the most out of current VR and haptic technologies in the framework of teleoperation.