Effect of force feedback on a bulldozer-type robot
Utilizing remote-controlled robots in damage restoration activities in disaster-affected areas such as those affected by a debris avalanche or an earthquake has significantly increased. Various types of remote-controlled robots have been successfully used along with construction machines in damage restoration activities in disaster-affected areas. Recently, a bulldozer-type robot removed the earth and sand deposited over a wide area because of a debris avalanche. To enable prompt damage restoration activities in disaster-affected areas, an efficient remote operation using robots is required. We study a remote-controlled bulldozer-type robot that moves objects using a system wherein the status of the stress applied on the bulldozer blade is provided as a force feedback to the operator. After conducting evaluation experiments, we could verify that the operating system providing force feedback to the operator shortened the operation time compared with the one that displayed visual information only on the operating screen.
A study of the method of the video image presentation for the manipulation of forceps.
Recently, surgical operations have sometimes been tried under laparoscopic video images using teleoperation robots or forceps manipulators. Therefore, in this paper, forceps manipulation efficiencies were evaluated when images for manipulation had some transmission delay (Experiment 1), and when the convergence point of the stereoscopic video cameras was either fixed and variable (Experiment 2). The operators' tasks in these experiments were sewing tasks which simulated telesurgery under 3-dimensional scenography. As a result of experiment 1, the operation at a 200+/-100 ms delay was kept at almost the same accuracy as that without delay. As a result of experiment 2, work accuracy was improved by using the zooming lens function; however the working time became longer. These results seemed to show the relation of a trade-off between working time and working accuracy.
Wide-angle orthostereo
Anplar fields of view filling at least the region directly viewable on the optical axis of the eyes -about 90 - are necessary to support the illusion of being immersed in another space, be it computer generated or the product of remote cameras. Any greater view, up to 270° laterally, enhances the illusion. Stereopsis, and completing the 360° visual sphere by head motion, round out the illusion; they require the wearing of a head-mounted-display (HMD). This paper describes the optical viewing system used in almost all existing HMD systems, and makes the case that, compared to video monitors, these HMD systems provide a qualitatively different kind of access to remote or computer generated reality -a difference that, even in the present crude state of the art, is striking enough to herald a new order of computer interfacing and real time telepresence. A caveat is presented: that if the spatial presentation is false - not "orthospace" - then the charm and power of the illusion, and the utility of the system, are sharply diminished.