Human-Machine Telecollaboration Accelerates the Safe Deployment of Large-Scale Autonomous Robots During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Zhongxu Hu, Yiran Zhang, Qinghua Li, Chen Lv

Abstract: Robots are increasingly used in today’s society [1,2]. Although the ‘end goal’ is to achieve full autonomy, currently the smartness and abilities of robots are still limited. Thus, some form of human supervision and guidance is still required to ensure robust deployment of robots in society, especially in complex and emergency situations [3,4]. However, when supervising robots, human performance and ability could be affected by their varying physical and psychological states, as well as other irrelevant activities. Thus, involving people in the operation of robots introduces some uncertainties and safety issues.Currently, the supervision of robots has become even more challenging, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic [5]. This is because, apart from maintaining the operator’s performance, avoiding close contact between the operator and others in the working place, to keep them away from potential onsite hazards, imposes new challenges. In this context, teleoperation, which keeps humans in the control loop but at a distance, provides a solution. However, this method has limitations. Under teleoperation, continuous human supervision and control are required, resulting in a higher workload. As operators observe the environment through monitors, their fields of view are limited. They can hardly feel the motion, forces, and vibrations that the robots receive on the remote side, which further restricts their situational awareness during supervision and affects the safe deploy...