The Effects of Gain Adaptation on Qos Deterioration in an Internet-Based Teleoperation Using a Virtual Reality Interface

Abstract

The Internet connects millions of computers worldwide, and provides a new potential working environment for remote-controlled telerobotic systems. The main drawback of using the Internet in this application is random delays between communicating nodes. These delays are considered disturbances in human-machine interaction and may affect telepresence experiences in teleoperation systems, particularly those integrating virtual reality technology for interface presentation. This research evaluated the effect of constant and random network (communication) delays on remote-controlled telerover performance, operator workload and telepresence experiences. The research also assessed the effect of using a system gain adaptation algorithm to offset the negative impact of communication delays on various response measures. It was expected that with gain adaptation, system stability, performance and user telepresence experiences would improve with a corresponding decrease in workload. Results indicated that gain adaptation had a significant effect on performance measures. The study demonstrated that gain adaptation could reduce deterioration in telepresence experiences and improve user performance in teleoperated and telerobotic control.