A finite memory model for haptic teleoperation

This paper is concerned with modeling the haptic exploration and recognition of objects using a teleoperator mechanism, mainly underwater. Three factors are identified which determine the success with which objects may be recognized: a) correct feature identification, b) interpretation of spatial data between features, and c) the ability to retain in memory the sequence of features identified. A haptic cognitive model is proposed which incorporates these factors, with emphasis on part c). The performance of the cognitive model is assessed with respect to previously obtained data, and further experiments are conducted to determine the number of features an operator can correctly recall when probing a remote object