The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality Environment

The teleoperation of robot arms can prevent users from working in hazardous environments, but current teleoperation uses a 2D display and controls the end effector of robot arms, which introduces the problem of a limited view and complex operations. In this study, a teleoperation method for robot ar...

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Main Authors: Yan Wu, Bin Zhao, Qi Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3549
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author Yan Wu
Bin Zhao
Qi Li
author_facet Yan Wu
Bin Zhao
Qi Li
author_sort Yan Wu
collection DOAJ
description The teleoperation of robot arms can prevent users from working in hazardous environments, but current teleoperation uses a 2D display and controls the end effector of robot arms, which introduces the problem of a limited view and complex operations. In this study, a teleoperation method for robot arms is proposed, which can control the robot arm by interacting with the digital twins of objects. Based on the objects in the workspace, this method generates a virtual scene containing digital twins. Users can observe the virtual scene from any direction and move the digital twins of the objects at will to control the robot arm. This study compared the proposed method and the traditional method, which uses a 2D display and a game controller, through a pick-and-place task. The proposed method achieved 45% lower scores in NASA-TLX and 31% higher scores in SUS than traditional teleoperation methods. The results indicate that the proposed method can reduce the workload and improve the usability of teleoperation.
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spelling doaj-art-be8a1f7c7f4847bd894a29a5984887682025-08-20T02:15:55ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-03-01157354910.3390/app15073549The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality EnvironmentYan Wu0Bin Zhao1Qi Li2School of Computer Science and Technology, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, ChinaSchool of Computer Science and Technology, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, ChinaSchool of Computer Science and Technology, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, ChinaThe teleoperation of robot arms can prevent users from working in hazardous environments, but current teleoperation uses a 2D display and controls the end effector of robot arms, which introduces the problem of a limited view and complex operations. In this study, a teleoperation method for robot arms is proposed, which can control the robot arm by interacting with the digital twins of objects. Based on the objects in the workspace, this method generates a virtual scene containing digital twins. Users can observe the virtual scene from any direction and move the digital twins of the objects at will to control the robot arm. This study compared the proposed method and the traditional method, which uses a 2D display and a game controller, through a pick-and-place task. The proposed method achieved 45% lower scores in NASA-TLX and 31% higher scores in SUS than traditional teleoperation methods. The results indicate that the proposed method can reduce the workload and improve the usability of teleoperation.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3549human–robot interactionmixed realityteleoperationrobotic manipulation
spellingShingle Yan Wu
Bin Zhao
Qi Li
The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality Environment
Applied Sciences
human–robot interaction
mixed reality
teleoperation
robotic manipulation
title The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality Environment
title_full The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality Environment
title_fullStr The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality Environment
title_full_unstemmed The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality Environment
title_short The Teleoperation of Robot Arms by Interacting with an Object’s Digital Twin in a Mixed Reality Environment
title_sort teleoperation of robot arms by interacting with an object s digital twin in a mixed reality environment
topic human–robot interaction
mixed reality
teleoperation
robotic manipulation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3549
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