Research Paper:
Automatic Viewpoint Selection for Teleoperation Assistance in Unmanned Environments Using Rail-Mounted Observation Robots
Zixuan Liu, Shinsuke Nakashima
, Ren Komatsu
, Nobuto Matsuhira
, Hajime Asama
, Qi An
, and Atsushi Yamashita

The University of Tokyo
5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
Corresponding author
In irradiated environments that are inaccessible to human workers, operations are often conducted via teleoperation. Consequently, robot operators must maintain continuous situational awareness of a previously unknown working environment. Visual information regarding task targets and robot manipulators is of utmost importance. The proposed method employs rail-mounted observation robots to position easily replaceable cameras capable of long-term deployment in such environments. To reduce the cognitive load on teleoperators, the automatic viewpoint selection system eliminates the need for direct control of observation robots. This research presents a method for using a single rail-mounted observation robot to gather information on an unknown environment and automatically determine an optimal viewpoint. A key contribution of this study is the viewpoint presentation system, which can adapt to occlusions caused by robots and adjust its positions accordingly. The proposed method was validated through computer simulation using a hybrid model consisting of a static environment and a dynamic robot arm, which moves within the environment and may obstruct views. Furthermore, the feasibility of the approach was demonstrated in a real-world experiment involving a robot arm performing a teleoperation task.
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