Teleoperation of multiple robots through the Internet

Abstract

A concept of distributed autonomous robotic systems (DARS) attracts many researchers' interests as one of the possible solutions which could realize flexible, robust and intelligent robotic systems. However, it can be observed that it is not possible for robots to carry out all the high-level tasks by themselves. A human operator should somehow operate the robotic system according to the requirements for the tasks. We have developed a human interface system for DARS. In this paper, a framework of human interface system for teleoperation is examined to clarify the requirements for those systems which require a single operator to operate multiple robots from a distant place. A prototype of the teleoperation system using the Internet as a medium for information transfer is developed and implemented onto an actual testing platform which consists of multiple omnidirectional mobile robots with cameras.