Comparing Physical and Virtual Simulation Use in UGV Research: Lessons Learned from HRI Research with Two Test Beds

摘要

This paper details lessons learned from human-robot interaction (HRI) research conducted with physicaland virtual unmanned vehicle (UV) test beds. Two subject matter experts (SMEs) were interviewedregarding their experiences using the test beds, and content was categorized to address validity issues andpractical concerns that researchers should consider when studying human operation of UVs. Interview datarevealed that from a practical standpoint, virtual simulation is favored over physical simulation. Virtualsimulation was also highlighted for permitting greater internal and construct validity than physicalsimulation. For tele-operation studies, however, physical simulation was identified as more externally validthan virtual simulation, but this advantage diminished for research at higher levels of autonomy. In general,this paper can serve as a resource for researchers who must choose between the two simulation methods.