Tactile Feedback for Teleoperator Systems

摘要

Teleoperators or telerobots are semi-intelligent remote controlled operators that perform a variety of tasks and provide feedback in the form of audio, visual, and tactile information to the human operator with a complete array of displays and controls in a remote locale. These teleoperators exist in a crude form today as industry's robots. If the computer was the single most significant invention of the twentieth century, the area of technology to benefit most from the advent of microcomputer chips is teleoperators. A glimpse further into the future reveals a time when human will be sheltered from adverse environments by telerobots/teleoperators. Teleoperators will be used in environments too hostile or too remote for humans. These include, for dangerous jobs such as cleaning radioactive spills or other toxic wastes. In addition, the quality of life for handicapped people can be improved through research and development of teleoperators in the form of artificial limbs. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the reader to teleoperators, telepresence, developments in the areas of kinesthetic and tactile feedback and the necessity for more research in the area of tactile feedback in teleoperators.