Teleoperation interface for mobile robot with perspective-transformed virtual 3D screen on PC display

摘要

The authors propose an inexpensive human interface for teleoperation of mobile robots by giving a perspective-transformed image of a virtual 3D screen on a standard PC display. Conventional teleoperation systems of mobile robots have used multiple screens for multiple cameras or a curved screen for a wide view camera, both of which are expensive solutions intended only for professional use. We adopt a single standard PC display as the display system for the operator to make the system affordable to all PC users. To make the angular location perceivable with a 2D display, the authors propose a method to show on the flat screen a perspective-transformed image of a virtual 180-degree cylindrical screen. In this system the image shown on the 2D screen preserves angular information of the remote place, which can help the operator grasp the angular location of the objects in the image. The result of the experiments indicates that the perspective-transformed images of the cylindrical screen can give the operator a better understanding of the remote world, which enables easier and more instinctive teleoperation.