The study of multi-robot systems is a growing field in robotics, as it enables large-scale and parallel operations, with applications including search and rescue. Robot swarms are often imagined as fully autonomous systems, but when integrating robots into real-world applications, human supervision is still needed to diagnose issues and provide direction. However, as the number of robots in the system grows, it quickly becomes challenging for humans to control actions, understand intentions, and troubleshoot errors. With this project, we propose a novel approach in which multiple humans assume roles organized into a hierarchy. Our approach includes two roles; a proximal worker and a remote supervisor. A key insight in our work is that different roles require different interfaces. For this reason, we explore the design of an interface based on augmented reality goggles that offers the proximal worker visualization and direct control of the robots, while the remote supervisor uses a 2D interface to allocate resources and manage robot status information. We hypothesize that combining the two roles allows for improved mental workload while interfacing with multi-robot systems.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Magaha, Alyssa
• Braun, Samantha

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 106166
• E-project-042723-125937

Keyword

• Multi-Human
• Multi-Robot
• 2D Interface
• Swarm Robotics
• Augmented Reality

Advisor

• Li, Jane
• Pinciroli, Carlo

Year

• 2023

Date created

• 2023-04-27

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Robotics Engineering
• Computer Science

Source

• E-project-042723-125937

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-06-14