Abstract
Future space missions envisage human operators teleoperating robotic systems from orbital spacecraft. A potential risk for such missions is the observation that sensorimotor performance deteriorates during spaceflight. This article describes an experiment on sensorimotor performance in two-dimensional manual tracking during different stages of a space mission. We investigated whether there are optimal haptic settings of the human-machine interface for microgravity conditions. Two empirical studies using the same task paradigm with a force feedback joystick with different haptic settings (no haptics, four spring stiffnesses, two motion dampings, three masses) are presented in this paper. (1) A terrestrial control study (N=20 subjects) with five experimental sessions to explore potential learning effects and interactions with haptic settings. (2) A space experiment (N=3 cosmonauts) with a pre-mission, three mission sessions on board the ISS (2, 4, and 6 weeks in space), and a post-mission session. Results provide evidence that distorted proprioception significantly affects motion smoothness in the early phase of adaptation to microgravity, while the magnitude of this effect was moderated by cosmonauts’ sensorimotor capabilities. Moreover, this sensorimotor impairment can be compensated by providing subtle haptic cues. Specifically, low damping improved tracking smoothness for both motion directions (sagittal and transverse motion plane) and low stiffness improved performance in the transverse motion plane.
Highlights
Space agencies around the world are planning planetary exploration missions with robotic systems that are teleoperated by humans
RMSE was significantly higher for the horizontal compared to the vertical tracking direction and significant effects of the haptic setting were only evident for the horizontal tracking task
The present study provides further evidence that sensorimotor performance during a manual tracking task requiring very precise and continuous motions changes under conditions of microgravity
Summary
Space agencies around the world are planning planetary exploration missions with robotic systems that are teleoperated by humans. To avoid exorbitant telecommunication delays during Moon or Mars missions, these robots will not be controlled from Earth but from orbital spacecraft (Anderson et al 2020). The question arises whether and to which degree human operators will be capable of performing such missions with the highest accuracy when being exposed to microgravity conditions. Astronauts are intensively trained to cope with these conditions, there is ample empirical evidence documenting a significant loss of sensorimotor performance in microgravity (e.g., Lackner and DiZio 2000; Manzey 2017).
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