A Tablet Interface for a Direct Vision Teleoperation of an Excavator for Urban Construction Work

Abstract

Recent years, worker shortage in the field of urban construction is becoming a bigger issue. To solve this problem, direct-vision remote control of a construction machine can be an effective solution where a worker can play not only the role of an operator but also the role of manual laborer. Authors propose a new direct-vision remote control system for an excavator using a tablet device. In the system, the graphical user interface (GUI) enables an operator to control an excavator by using various multiple-fingers action. An excavator teleoperation system has been developed to conduct an experiment. In the usability-testing experiment, the usability of the proposed system has been evaluated and its performance has been compared with a GUI that simulates an interface of conventional machine levers. The experimental results have verified the advantage of the proposed system.