Development of a Human/Robot Control Interface

The ability of remote robotic vehicles to achieve their tasks depends on how well they can be controlled. An effective human/robot interface would minimize the limitations of the human and robot and prioritize the level of human/robot interaction. Theinterface must provide a range of robotic control, across the semi-autonomous to fully manually-controlled spectrum. Communication needs across this spectrum vary between the human receiving a Situation Report to directly controlling and receiving liveinformation from the robot. Due to possible failures in hardware and software, purely autonomous robots in dynamic, hazardous environments are not feasible. The human operator has the adaptability needed in these environments. However, situations in acombat/hazardous environment test the operator's physical and cognitive limits.We propose an efficient, intuitive, unobtrusive, and intelligent human/robot interface with multiple modalities of input for robotic control (proportional-tactile, speech) and multiple modalities of feedback information from the robot (video, graphicaldisplay, audio). The interface will prioritize information flow, based on the human's and robot's situations.Objectives are:1. Identify and test input and output hardware and modalities.2. Evaluate the Land Warrior system for available resources.Existing Land Warrior hardware will be used whenever possible to minimize weight, size, and complexity. By facilitating successful operation of mobile robots, the human/robot interface will reduce the risk to dismounted infantry during combat operations. Urban search and rescue is the most obvious dual-use application for this technology. Fire and rescuepersonnel, police, and other agents could use a robust and reliable human/robot control interface, to control small robotic platforms in collapsed building environments, sniper situations, fires, and chemical contamination environments.